Mobile technology meets fashion and design at SAFW
OPPO amplifies local fashion both on and off the ramp
20 October 2022, Johannesburg – It is undeniable that clothing is one of the most powerful forms of non-verbal communication. Meanwhile fashion is an artful form of self-expression which reflects a particular mood and style at a particular place in time.
OPPO, as one of the world’s leading smart device manufacturers and innovators, believes its mission is to elevate life through technological artistry.
And, as mobile technology increasingly plays a role in making fashion accessible beyond the front row, the leading technology business is amplifying its partnership with SA Fashion Week both on and off the ramp.
The OPPO Collections, comprising autumn/winter ranges by South African labels Munkus, Ntando XV and Black Coffee, is set to be one of the highlights of this year’s fashion week schedule when it takes place on October 21st at 7pm at Mall of Africa in Gauteng.
The showing tangibly demonstrates how customers can use technology and design to add value to their daily lives, drawing on OPPO’s philosophy of ‘Technology as an Art Form’. And, while the ranges showcased will be intuitive of the current mood in fashion and its aesthetics, mobile technology continues to make it easier for fashionistas to share the designers’ creative viewpoints in thread both seamlessly and immediately.
Once controlled by professional photographers and videographers who captured models wearing the latest designs from a specially designated area usually at the front of the stage, the advent of social media and advances in camera phone technology has democratised the way in which fashion week imagery is now transmitted.
Acknowledging the role that digital devices have played in enhancing and magnifying fashion beyond the front row, OPPO has hand-picked key South African identities including artists Nadia Nakai, Kyle Deutsch and Musa Keys; influential stylist Macc Gee and actor and model Wiseman Zitha, to share their take on the collections with their millions of followers in real time.
Like fashion’s power in communicating non-verbally, OPPO envisions technology as an art form, with the brand’s stated mission being to exist to elevate life through technological artistry.
“OPPO prides itself on being a brand which is human-centric, with a focus on innovating for people. Designers are intrinsically innovative creators, and through our partnership with SA Fashion Week we are demonstrating how technology and design can be harnessed to add value to our daily lives,” explains Avashnee Moodley, Head of Marketing at OPPO South Africa.
Meanwhile Lucilla Booyzen, convenor and founder of SA Fashion Week, says it isn’t only the audiences at SAFW who are embracing the power of mobile technology to capture their experiences. She says she has noticed a tangible shift amongst designers themselves in harnessing technology to tell their stories and connect to their customers.
Booyzen said OPPO’s involvement with SA Fashion Week, now into its fourth season, is a natural extension of that movement.
“Our partnership with OPPO is a supernova partnership, seriously building the artistry of technology with that of creative fashion design. At fashion week, we align ourselves with like-minded partners. OPPO and SAFW are aligned in innovation, design, on sustainability and in our commitment to the ethical way of doing business,” said Booyzen.