Meet The Black Designer Who Broke The Internet With Her 3D Runway Show
Fashion runway shows give designers the opportunity to showcase their latest creations to the industry and enthusiasts. Traditionally, they have been grand live events lined with celebrities and industry insiders to get a first look at their new designs. Now one designer has revolutionized the game with her innovative virtual runway show that has set a new standard in how designers showcase their latest works.
Over the weekend, Congolese designer Anifa Mvuemba created a social media firestorm when she gave the world a preview at her latest collection from her fashion brand, Hanifa, on Instagram Live on Friday with a groundbreaking 3D runway presentation. The digital models walked down the invisible runway showcasing the designer’s creations from the Pink Label Congo collection featuring a series of vibrant colored designs on headless, three-dimensional silhouettes.
The Maryland resident sat down in an interview with Teen Vogue to talk about the new idea and why it was important to provide access to her showcase through social media. “We know that some people may never experience a fashion week or Hanifa showcase, so we wanted to show up for our audience where they show up for us on a daily basis,” she said. “That’s when Instagram became the obvious choice.”
“With a digital model you’re determining the measurements and what would cause the model to look most realistic,” Anifa continues. “Without real women to draw inspiration from there could be no 3D models to emulate our beautiful skin tones, curves, and walking patterns. For me the biggest challenge is making sure that the beauty we display in real life is well represented on the screen.”
Mvuemba often pays tribute to her home country of Congo through her designs while drawing attention to the social issues such as illegal mining.
“I am so intentional about everything I do with this collection,” Mvuemba said during the launch on her Instagram page on Friday according to CNN. “If you’re African then you know about African seamstresses and how detail is so important and the color is so important and prints are so important. I really just wanted to use that in this collection, just to give tribute to African seamstresses.”
