Still Counting... Stream me One more Time

The just concluded New York Fashion Week brought about some revelations that are bigger than the collections on show on the runways. In addition to the mostly beautiful (although somewhat sensible and predictable) collections from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Diane Von Furstenberg and Marchesa, this week can be described as the week in which the digital revolution imprint was sealed in fashion and luxury.

Although the fashion industry has warmed up to the social media in the recent past and have been particularly showing signs of its love for platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, this fashion week brought about an extension of the romance in the form of Live Streaming. Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Rodarte and Alexander Wang, to name just a few designers made Live Streaming their keyword this season, bringing their shows live to thousands of clients and fans around the world in real time. Others like Diane Von Furstenburg, Rachel Roy and Isaac Mizrahi used Facebook and blogs to update fans with videos and images of both the front and back stages. Proenza Schouler even took this to a higher level by integrating a ''selling dimension'' in the live stream where clients could click and pre-order directly from the runway as the model still walked the runway, literally.

This openess to the influence of technology and digital media really calls for applause, although some would argue that fashion is a late adopter and other industries have been using new media in similar ways for years. I don't mean that the fashion industry should be applauded for learning how to use Twitter and Facebook, but I mean that commendation should be given to fashion designers for the courage they have shown in casting away the several inhibitions the industry encourages, and for rising to the challenge of embracing change in the form of new media. Diane Von Furstenberg was right when she said that, ''Ignoring the internet is total madness.'' Well, let's hope that the forthcoming Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks will uphold this anti-madness stance.  

The countdown to Luxury Online's publication continues...