Context
New York Fashion Week is a biannual affair that typically overflows with exclusive runway shows and afterparties. For the 2024 winter edition, National Geographic unveiled an experiential show titled "Fit for a Queen," featuring mesmerizing holographic projections of the most impressive female leaders in the animal kingdom, including elephants, lionesses, and bears, that walked the runway alongside the influential models.
The immersive experience was created to mark the premiere of their docuseries QUEENS - narrated by legendary award-winning actress Angela Bassett - which explores the lives of female leaders in the animal world and offers a captivating narrative of queendom and empowerment.
Challenge
National Geographic’s immersive approach pushes the boundaries of fashion show technology and presentations. To reach the desired impact, the holographs needed to appear realistic in color, texture, scale, and movement. And blending these lifelike projections of the animals with live models on the runway required meticulous attention to details.
Solution
To bring this vision to life, National Geographic partnered with PRG, a leading, global innovation company renowned for its cutting-edge work in live events. With a portfolio that includes high-profile events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics, PRG was well-equipped to tackle the challenge. Leveraging their expertise in holographic projection technology, PRG aimed to blur the lines between nature and fashion, offering attendees a unique and immersive fashion experience.
To create the realistic representations of the animals featured in the fashion show, PRG employed two UDX-4K40 projectors. With REC.709+ color performances, the UDXs ensured high-quality image faithfully recreating the animals’ colors and textures.
"The UDX was a solid choice,” says Jeroen Hallaert, VP Production Services at PRG. “These powerful projectors and their lenses were a gamechanger in the creation of the immersive event. With unparalleled color performance, the UDX projectors delivered exceptional lifelike holographic animals, transforming the runway into a mesmerizing display of nature and fashion."
Results
With their powerful projection capabilities and precise color reproduction, the UDX projectors proved to be the perfect choice for bringing National Geographic's vision to life on the runway. The result was a vibrant fusion of fashion and technology that captivated the more than 200 industry influencers, celebrities, fashion tastemakers and media who attended the New York Fashion Week with a fresh perspective on nature’s beauty.