VORN SHOWCASE EVENING RECEPTION AT BERLIN FASHION WEEK

On 18 January, we celebrated the much-anticipated VORN Academy showcase exhibition "HOOKED" during Berlin Fashion Week with an evening reception at LNFA Story in Bikini Berlin. All designers, partners, and trainers of the Academy pilot, as well as press representatives, business partners, innovation leaders and friends came together to experience the immersive exhibition with cool drinks and delicious finger food. The event was also the official opening of the showcase exhibition, which remained open to the public for two more days until the 20th of January.

The multidimensional exhibition showcased the outcome of the 8-week VORN Academy programme: three phygital looks with a circular approach, each representing the designers' emotional stages during the creative process: Dysfunctionality, Escapism and Pleasure. Each garment in the looks is realised using sustainable materials and print technologies, AI-generated prints and digital pattern making and sampling. A digital circular passport, called a Circular.ID, is displayed on each garment via a QR code. It redirects to a website with a product passport containing detailed information on the sustainability aspects of each product. On screens next to each look, the digital twins of the looks were brought to life. The what? Well, the digital twins, or avatars. All three looks are also living as avatars in the "HOOKED" metaverse, a digital art space in Spatial designed and realised by the nine designers of the VORN Academy. The guests were invited to enter the "HOOKED" metaverse via four pairs of VR glasses. QR codes next to each look redirected to the "HOOKED" microsite explaining the concept and philosophy of the Capsule Collection.

All visitors to the evening reception and exhibition were able to secure their own PoaP-NFT (Proof of Attendance NFT). By simply scanning a QR code, they could mint the NFT, which was designed by VORN Academy designer Schirin Negahbani. The NFT is minted from Polygon Matic, a layer2 solution with ultra-low Co2 consumption. The NFT is a symbol of the global network and community that VORN - The Berlin Fashion Hub aims to build.

Hovering over the entire event was the unsettling and seemingly random sound design for each of the three looks, created especially for the exhibition.

The event began with short speeches from industry partners, including Matthias Hurler, Director Private Label Production Supply at Zalando, Omer Kulka, CIO at Kornit Digital, Callan Carpenter, VP Digital Twins Solutions at Unity. The designer Nina Jurcic spoke on behalf of all 9 designers in the VORN Academy Program. CEOs Magdalena Schaffrin and Marte Hentschel spoke on behalf of VORN. Afterwards, guests were able to network, meet the nine designers and industry partners, as well as immerse themselves in the VR experience.

f.l.t.r Callan Carpenter, Unity, Matthias Hurler, Zalando, Magdalena Schaffrin, VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub, Omer Kulka, Kornit Digital, Nina Jurcic and Marte Hentschel, VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub

The exhibition and the phygital fashion experience are the result of the first VORN Academy Program which ran from October to December 2022 in collaboration with our industry partners, Zalando, Kornit Digital and Unity. 

Both the Evening Reception and the Showcase Exhibition were a resounding success and placed VORN - The Berlin Fashion Hub as a focal point for answers at the intersection of web3, fashion and NFT technologies. A role that VORN intends to build on in further Academy Programs.

For more information, please visit the „HOOKED“ Metaverse microsite. You are also invited to enter the „HOOKED“ Metaverse which remains accessible online.