Bella Hadid was turned into a digital avatar for Mugler
Bella Hadid makes a virtual cameo as Pegasus in Mugler's new fashion film
The global pandemic has forced designers to think outside of the box when it comes to fashion week and showcasing their designs. Digital and virtual shows have replaced the traditional catwalk presentations, leading to fashion houses embracing avant-garde digital offerings.
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No where is this more obvious than in the case of French fashion house Mugler. Artistic director Casey Cadwallader told Vogue “I didn’t want to go quiet during a show season, and this seems like a new format that was just ripe to explore.” For the presentation Cadwallader wanted to use one of the houses seasoned faces, Bella Hadid.
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However at the time of crafting the concept the Mugler team was still in lockdown in Paris while Bella was in New York. Cadwallader explained the development of the idea “I said, ‘Wait, what if we make her into an avatar?’ I knew that Florian Joahn, the director of the film, had worked with a lot of CGI artists before, so we could play with CGI in the movie.”
Hence Hadid underwent her 3D scan and filmed the video from New York, while Cadwallader watched the process of creating the avatar over Zoom call.
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Hadid shared behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram, demonstrating the 3D scanning process which was used to create her Avatar. In order to create the avatar Hadid had to first undergo a 360° body scan followed by a specialised face scan, in order to render her famous features digitally.
The digital production was entrusted to the company Misato Studio who worked on the 3D renderings and the project was directed by their in house artist Andrei Warren.
Cadwallader explained "We got her 3D form and then we had to really scratch our heads and say, ‘What are we going to do with it?’” In the video the brand opted to transform Hadid into a golden Pegasus.
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The final result is a virtual presentation, below, in which Hadid wears an asymmetric white tank and jeans, surrounded by drones before she transforms into the mythical winged creature leaping off the Palais Garnier.
The video also features a diverse cast including Mugler muse Debra Shaw, Ariish Wol, and British rapper Shygirl.
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