I.T celebrates 30th anniversary with immersive Jamie Fobert-designed installation

Hong Kong’s Pacific Place shopping mall is no stranger to creative pop-ups and exhibitions but the digital lifestyle platform conceptualised by British architect Jamie Fobert to celebrate fashion retailer I.T’s 30th anniversary provides an intriguing new experience of the see-now-buy-now world of retail, without a cash register in sight.  

Instead of dressing rooms and rows of merchandise, customers stroll through an immersive installation of live digital kiosks with a shoppable App.

The installation also features large microscopes that offer a closer look at product design details

This homegrown brand already has good form when it comes to keeping a sharp eye on the future.  Over the past three decades, it has spotted the most original design talent, presenting multi-branded fashion for men and women in highly curated avant-garde boutiques. 

But that seems almost quaint, compared to the playful multi-dimensional experience the three-day pop-up offers. Customers who register online also have a first glimpse of I.T’s exclusive online collection of merchandise, much of which has been specially designed for the anniversary.

The omni-channel retail space comprises 27 charcoal black, pillar-like kiosks partly clad in high-resolution digital screens that cleverly transform the digital world into a surprisingly social physical shopping environment.  

Jointly developed by digital creatives Your Majesty and The Fabricant, the woven screens are armed with motion sensor cameras that present product renderings: a humanoid figure mimics your posture and movement, capturing the essence of digital life.  Physical items such as a smocked chiffon dress by Molly Goddard and a Stampd hoodie are tantalizingly displayed on Perspex mannequins floating inside the kiosks, with some featuring large microscopes that offer a closer look at design details.

This mesmerising world, both live and digital, was created using 3D animation, motion capture and body scanning to digitally remaster the stylish pieces from sketches.  Ordering is by a simple scan of the barcode. Products from more than 100 brands are available solely on ITeSHOP.

Information

The exhibition will be presented in Shanghai and Beijing in November and December 2018 respectively before moving on to Paris in early 2019. For more information, visit the I.T website. Register to visit here