Fashion’s third dimension

ON SEPTEMBER 14, American designer Norma Kamali presented her new season’s collection in a highly innovative and creative fashion.

Only blocks away from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week’s tent in New York City, spectators were invited to the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Centre to dive into a three-dimensional setting.

A pair of paper glasses, exclusively designed in Kamali’s stunning signature cat-eye shape, was presented to guests at the door. As guests entered the venue, they prepared themselves to step into a whole new fashionable universe. An eight-minute fashion film featured on a giant screen revealed models in different looks from Kamali’s spring 2012 collection.

The models on screen, wearing Kamali’s new stylish designs, shimmied to a jazzy and catchy beat. The 67 chic and glamorous looks had a fun and sensational allure. When viewers wore the glasses each piece came to life as the dynamic film continued to play. The patterns practically emerged from the screen. Many pieces included vibrant and colourfully bright aspects.

Two models from the film were also present, wearing black suits with neon lights from head to toe.

Kamali incorporates the idea of three-dimensional technology on her site at normakamali3d.com, permitting buyers to shop online by looking at pieces through different angles. Customers will be ready to commence their 3D e-commerce experience by becoming fans of her Facebook page or signing up on the website to receive a pair of the funky glasses (for US residents only).

Kamali spoke to us about her new season’s collection and shared her idea about fashion expanding in the third dimension.

Above Norma Kamali with the author.

Lucire: This season you chose to present your new season’s collection in a 3D fashion film. Could you tell us how you came up with such an innovative idea such as this?
Norma Kamali: Well, I saw a film called Cave of Forgotten Dreams [a documentary by Werner Herzog] and it’s a very kind of dry documentary but it was done in 3D and so there were no special effects. So I’m looking at it and I’m seeing the man’s shirt pop out, and I couldn’t concentrate anymore because all I could think of is ‘I have to do this… I have to show my collection in this way.’ I was obsessed. But the real innovations are the fashion pages on our website that are 3D and [have] never been done before. I like doing things that have never been done before so it was really fun to do the collection, to do it for the film and to present it in this way.

How long did it take you to put the collection together? How long did it take you to put the film together?
The collection took the normal time [to put together]. But the film, we shot it in one day and edited it in four days.

What is the theme for your new season’s collection? Is there a certain technique you have when you begin to put a collection together?
I think it’s kind of an organic thing. You feel what people are feeling and I think we want to feel good … it is a very difficult time. Clothes really make a difference for how we feel and I acknowledge that, finally, after all these years. I thought I want to make happy clothes, I want to show them on happy girls, I want the experience to be playful and entertaining so: lots of colour, lots of texture … Clothes that are activated-it just worked the way I wanted it to. And the models … everybody all came together to tell the story in that way.

As we watch the models dance we are also watching happily confident women. Could you tell us how you think a woman should dress to incorporate that dash of confidence in their style?
I think every woman knows what they like. Even little girls, when we’re three or four years old, we know what we like. Nobody has to show us a fashion magazine, we know that we like that colour, we like that style. It doesn’t change and we can’t allow people to change our minds about what we like … When you like something and you look good in it, you look fierce. You’re invincible, nobody can come near you; you’re radiant and then that message gets sent and it’s really powerful. So it’s really know what you like and build on it and make it better, whether it’s make-up, the way you wear your hair, the clothes you wear. Go for what you like and not what you feel you should like … Each season you pick that way and you decide, and then people will follow you. They like people who know what they are doing.

Your designs have been seen on a number of celebrities including Farrah Fawcett, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Is there another celebrity that you have not dressed yet but would like to?
I dress pretty much all the ones I’d like to dress so I’m pretty happy. I like that they choose me and that we don’t solicit them. I enjoy making them feel good, too. •

Lola Saab is Paris editor of Lucire.

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photographs courtesy Ciel PR