You’ll be able to shop the BAFTA red carpet for the first time thanks to 5G and AI

Digital supermodel Shudu will be helping fans shop looks from home via Instagram Stories 
Amelia Heathman8 February 2019

The BAFTAs red carpet is going to be a little different this Sunday thanks to a heady infusion of tech.

For the first time ever, there will be a holographic digital supermodel, by the name of Shudu, acting as an AI stylist, capturing the styles of the stars and serving up the looks for people at home to shop.

EE will be trialling its 5G network live on the night to power up Shudu. Shudu will be on hand to take pictures of attendees, including Lady Gaga and Emma Stone, using the Google Pixel 3.

Then, Shudu will be chatting to fans at home via Instagram Stories to tell them what the stars are wearing and how they can browse affordable versions of the outfits on the high street.

BAFTAs: Best Dressed of All-Time - In pictures

EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 - Red Carpet Arrivals
1/42

The AI technology will allow Shudu to detect and learn the differences between different items of clothing based on cut, shape and fabric patterns. Using this knowledge, she will be able to find alternative versions of the outfits and tailor recommendations to fans depending on their preferences. Fans will be able to interact with the chatbot on EE’s Instagram Stories feed.

Speaking about Shudu, Pete Jeavons, director of brand marketing at EE, said: “Our award-winning network has always let you do more of what you love in more places. This year we’ve gone further than ever to challenge what people might think is possible by using 5G and AI to bring digital supermodel Shudu to life on the BAFTA red carpet.”

Shudu herself is going to be wearing a spectacular gown on the night. The bespoke digital gown was designed by Swarovski, BAFTA’s official jewellery partner, and is made up of tens of thousands of double pointed Chaton Crystals in different shades of yellow.

The gown features a linear design and strong bold lines on the top to provide structure, whilst the bottom of the dress is very fluid in order to accentuate Shudu’s movements.

Nadja Swarovski, member of the Swarovski executive board, said: “Swarovski is committed to supporting fashion innovation and creativity, and we were delighted to translate our crystal into holographic form for Shudu to wear on the 2019 BAFTA red carpet. We look forward to seeing her in her glittering gown, along with her stunning Atelier Swarovski jewellery pieces.”

The project is an interesting way for EE to bring together a lot of the dominant tech topics at the moment - 5G, AI, chatbots - and making it relevant to a wider audience. As long as there are no hiccups on the night, it demonstrates how innovation in tech can lead to exciting and fun experimentations, which can get the public interested in what the future holds.

The future of fashion tech is sparkly, that’s for sure.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in