How New York Fashion Week Has Changed With Advances In Technology

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is no longer just in the business of presenting and selling the latest trends in clothing as the bi-annual event continues to increase its use of technology.

NYFW is held bi-annually in February and September. Advances in technology have managed to transform and enhance how the event is experienced by all. These technological changes, however, tend to affect designers and consumers in a mutually beneficial way.

"The purpose of it is to create an experience and make people feel something. It usually translates into commerce and sales," Laurie De Jong, the CEO of LDJ Productions — an agency producer of NYFW, told International Business Times. "At the end of the day, tech can amplify it and enhance it, but not replace it."

"For fashion, specifically, we're always looking to technology to help engage the experience for the designer and the audience in so many different ways," De Jong continued.

"See-Now, Buy-Now" apps are an increasingly used image-capturing tech innovation to surface from NYFW. This method, which has been adopted by designers like Tom Ford and Burberry, allows consumers to shop the collections moments after they depart the runway. De Jong asserts that the newer versions of the apps aid in providing "superior-level precision" that allows for designers to highlight what they want.

"The model will have something on them, whether its a beacon sewn in or it's a minuscule tiny thing that's on their shoe, bag or shirt," De Jong said. "Somebody in the audience who has the app will be able to take a picture of what they're looking at — what they want to buy — and their screen will populate with the information."

From there, an individual could pull information from the brand's inventory that will allow them to see when the item is up for sale and how much is available, among other features.

Snapchat, a popular photo-sharing social media app, has worked towards making the NYFW experience accessible to fans. The company worked with its first-ever Snapchat fashion partner, designer Virgil Abloh, to launch a selfie-mode lens for September's Spring and Summer 2018 shows. The face lens allowed users to transform their face and surroundings into a black-and-white special effect that boasted Abloh's signature.

The popular app also introduced "Our Story" for NYFW, which allowed those in attendance to share the snaps with a wider audience. Model Gigi Hadid and designer Jeremy Scott were among select big-name individuals that had their experience featured. Designers utilizing Snapchat for NYFW allow for users to feel as if they're an active part of the main event by giving them a backstage pass and front row seat to all the action.

Snapchat plans to launch even more creative tools lenses, filters and stickers with some of the designers for February's shows, a Snap Inc. spokesperson confirmed to IBT. The app will also feature five "Our Stories" covering NYFW.

Brands like Christian Siriano and Ralph Lauren also benefitted from using Instagram during their September 2017 runway shows. Instagram's 'Stories' feature allowed fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at several brands' upcoming collections. Instagram's live feature was also put to use among designers, Forbes reported.

NYFW brings in nearly $900 million a year. In February 2017, the large-scale production garnered a total income of $598 million.

NYFW's Fall and Winter 2018 shows are scheduled to take place between Feb. 8 and Feb. 14.