Of course, the biggest winner of all this is the planet. In producing the GCFA, NorthHouse reduced their team from 10 people to three who travelled to Milan, while ARHT conducted their part from the company’s headquarters in Toronto, sending celebrities to the company’s outposts in New York, London and LA to be captured as holograms and beamed over to Milan. “We’re doing the same amount of work but with less people, so from a production point of view, it’s been the most sustainable project that I’ve done,” says Testi. As well as being on location in Milan, he has been directing guest appearances over Zoom, working with talent and local videographers around the globe to capture content without travelling. “If this was happening in a non-COVID time, I would have been flying all over the world to South Africa, LA, New York, Shanghai — I would have spent more time on the plane than filming,” he says. And that’s just the teams involved. When you take into account the carbon emissions created by guests flying from around the world to attend events, this virtual award show is saving thousands of tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
“Reducing carbon footprint is very measurable, because we know on a per-person basis how much carbon dioxide people use to fly around the world,” says O’Reilly. “If we help to eliminate the need for that, the benefits to the planet are huge.” Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana’s CEO Carlo Capasa said of the event: “Together we must exploit this moment to shape a future for our industry that puts the planet and people at the centre of its business.” Considering the huge reduction of carbon emissions, personnel on site and waste created as a result, the 2020 GCFA is undoubtedly one of the greenest award ceremonies of its time.
With this technology becoming more sophisticated and affordable with every year, it’s only a matter of time until the wider fashion industry fully embraces virtual FX and augmented reality to create more visually exciting, accessible and sustainable events. From fashion weeks to buying appointments, the applications for this technology would revolutionise the industry like nothing before. “I think it’s going to take everything to the next level,” says Bairstow. “This is the start of a whole new way of creating shows.” Eco-Age is boldly leading the pack, and O’Reilly is sure there will be many more following in their footsteps. “You take this technology, pair it with the creativity and glamour of fashion, and you will really be able to wow people.”