EE: Augmented Reality Dress

The background

EE wanted to demonstrate the impressive power of their expansive 5G capabilities in a fun, innovative way. So we showed just how far their network extends by bringing it somewhere it’s never been before: all the way to the red carpet at the 2020 EE BAFTAs

The execution

When celebrities arrived at the awards show, all eyes were on one dress in particular: TV presenter Maya Jama. She wore a stunning floor-length powder blue gown that had a high neck, daring slit, and delicate drapery. The one-of-a-kind dress, designed by multi-disciplinary artist Richard Malone, had a secret: It was the world’s first 5G-powered augmented reality dress.

When Jama made her grand entrance, thanks to the technology embedded within her gown, it transformed before everyone’s eyes. Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G smartphones were set up along the red carpet that gave onlookers a front-row seat to the breathtaking AR transformation. When they looked at her dress through the phone screen, it changed from powder blue to teal and the fabric came to life, swirling around her an intricate, dramatic fashion. To let people get in on the AR fun at home, a custom Instagram filter was introduced to let them snap a selfie posing with a special EE BAFTA lens.

The dress was sewn by hand and took 250 hours to complete. Hidden within its six layers were 12 full body-length wires and 18 sensor bulbs, which were connected to EE’s lightning-fast 5G network. Additionally, it was made from ethically sourced fabric, including recycled, regenerative ocean waste, recycled wool, and wadding from ex-factory waste. It truly represented the future of fashion.

The results

We pushed the limits of blending fashion with technology in a way that’s never been done before, creating a gown with tons of digital possibilities. The response to the dress was massive, generated millions of views across various social platforms and went viral amongst multiple audiences: fashionistas, tech fiends, and entertainment fans, to name a few.

This was a fun, creative way to show that EE gives you 5G in more places than any other network—including the red carpet. We’re excited to have been part of one of the most talked-about moments of the 2020 awards show season and are proud to have led the charge in redefining the red carpet for years to come.