Dutch FashionTech Designer Anouk Wipprecht x Cirque du Soleil at NYFW September 2019

Anouk Wipprecht  x Cirque Du Soleil x SAP 

Technology and fashion are increasingly linked in an innovative way to create groundbreaking new designs. For NYFW September 2019, Dutch fashion designer Anouk Wipprecht has collaborated with Cirque du Soleil and SAP to highlight how tech can transform fashion into a uniquely personalized experience.

…things in the brewing ^^ @Cirque x Nextasy x @AnoukWipprecht x @SAP for #NYFW #FashionTech #Robotica …few days till release! pic.twitter.com/XquXpW8UOt

— Anouk Wipprecht (@AnoukWipprecht) September 5, 2019

The designers have delved into the world of FashionTech to create designs that provide participants with a customized experience based on their individual mood, feelings and preferences. With the goal of maximizing the fan experience, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group leveraged technology by Qualtrics Experience Management platform from SAP, to create unique and personalized interactions. The one-of-a-kind tech-enabled fashion designs will be unveiled and on display at Spring Studios throughout New York Fashion Week. A blend of Cirque du Soleil’s creative vision and Anouk Wipprecht’s signature FashionTech style, the futuristic dresses and suits showcase unique designs, allowing guests the opportunity to receive either a custom fragrance or elixir based on their responses to a quick interaction via Qualtrics from SAP  Experience Management platform. Qualtrics from SAP captures participant’s inputs and collects and analyzes the various information to create a unique experience – a personalized fragrance or elixir: cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage – based on responses from each individual. These designs, brought to life by participant’s individual inputs and engagement, demonstrate the future of fashion and the fan experience by using audience interaction to create personalized experiences.

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP  design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP  design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

How it Works: Fragrance dress & suit

Upon interacting with the design via Qualtrics from SAP, capsules stored in the model’s 3D printed shoulder-pieces are then placed on a built-in conveyor belt at the model’s chest, filled with the respective ingredients and handed to the participant. The fragrance design prototype stores ingredients divided in head, body and base notes that allows for the possibility of several different mixes. Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group worked with perfumer Laurent Le Guernec of International Flavors & Fragrances – an innovator of sensory experiences – to create the personalized fragrances.

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP  design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

How it Works: Elixir dress & suit

Upon interacting with the design via Qualtrics from SAP , the model then places a vial on the 3D-printed chest plate and the system then uses peristaltic pumps to combine the ingredients divided into bases, alcohols, and different flavors and dispense the tailored elixir: cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage – inspired by a mixology expert – based on the participant’s responses. The elixir design prototype stores ingredients divided into bases, alcohols and other flavors that allows for the possibility of several different mixes. Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group worked with renown mixologist Fanny Gauthier to create the personalized elixirs: cocktails or non- alcoholic beverages.

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP  design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

Events

Two designs (one fragrance and one elixir) are on display at Spring Studios for the entirety of NYFW, including videos of the making of process.  This display is available to all attendees of NYFW shows at Spring Studios.

Two other costumes will be used across a series of different events including a media day, customer programs and a cocktail. These are private events whereby guests will have the opportunity to engage/interact with the designs and receive personalized fragrances and beverages tailored to their responses.

“With our return to New York Fashion Week as the Official Software Solutions Partner, we wanted to bring a unique experience to consumers that shows the future potential of fashion, with the help of technology,” said Alicia Tillman, Global CMO of SAP. “So we teamed up with long-time partner Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group to create one-of-a-kind tech-enabled fashion designs that are driven by interaction with consumers.”

“Innovation and creativity are part of Cirque du Soleil’s DNA, and we are excited to work with SAP as we challenge ourselves to come up with new experiences that will maximize the fan experience,” said Frank Helpin, Senior Director – Innovation, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. “With costumes being such an integral part of our performances, New York Fashion Week is a great platform for us to show how FashionTech can provide a truly customized experience. SAP Qualtrics allows us to do this and we look forward to continuing to work with SAP to develop new, innovative experiences for our audiences.”

About Anouk Wipprecht

Cirque du Soleil x Anouk Wipprecht x SAP design | Photo: alexjamesfilms ©

Dutch FashionTech designer Anouk Wipprecht creates designs ahead of her time; combining the latest in science and technology to make fashion an experience that transcends mere appearances. She wants her garments to facilitate and augment the interactions we have with ourselves and our surroundings. Her Spider Dress is a perfect example of this aesthetic, where sensors and moveable arms on the dress help to create a more defined boundary of personal space while employing a fierce style. Partnering up with companies such as Intel, AutoDesk, Google, Arduino, Microsoft, Samsung, Adobe, Adidas, Cirque Du Soleil, Audi, Disney, Swarovski, and 3D printing company Shapeways she researches how our future would look as we continue to embed technology into what we wear, and more importantly – how this will change our perspective on how we will interface with technology.

Her work has been exhibited internationally at multiple International Fashion Weeks, during CES and Art Basel Miami, Premiere Vision Paris, ARS Electronica Festival, IAA, has been featured in magazines like WIRED, Vogue, Elle, IEEE Spectrum, and has been broadcasted and interviewed on tv show stations CNN, Discovery Channel, Red Bull TV and NFL. She curated two successful exhibitions; ‘Technosensual – Where Fashion Meets Technology’ at MuseumsQuartier Vienna in 2012, and ‘Robotic Couture’ at Tetem Netherlands in 2017; and is part of the TED family.