Trend-Tech-Trade is a creative, interactive company offering a unique retail shopping experience. They plan to provide a VR booth booking service through fashion brands' websites, enabling them to work directly with their buyers and create a trendsetting environment. In line with this, they aim to educate consumers about the people behind the fashion industry's buyers and create a limited-edition collection that will be sold year-round in physical stores using virtual reality. They intend to engage consumers through their digital selection channels and make advertising, productivity, and assortment measurable for brands.

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“It’s all about knowing where to stop” – never go too far, but always far enough: for Johnny Talbot and Adrian Runhof, this is both a design motto and a philosophy of life. Since 2000, they have been designing glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses under the name Talbot Runhof . With their penchant for exceptional fabrics, impeccable tailoring, and extravagant details, the Munich-based brand has garnered a global following. Those who wear Talbot Runhof have something to offer – this applies to the red carpet as well as to business and leisure settings, because the collection now also includes high-quality day dresses, suits, coats, and accessories that reflect the same design vision.

1. How did Talbot Runhof and Trend-Tech-Trade come to join forces to work together on this project?

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Devina Popat : I had the opportunity to host a webinar about the past, present, and future of fashion retail with the German Fashion Council, in which Oliver participated as a guest speaker. After our webinar, we decided to collaborate on the delivery of our VR and AR technology solutions. What Oliver (Gerbitz) shared about Talbot Runhof's technical requirements was very inspiring for me. I found the story of Johnny (Talbot) and Adrian (Runhof) and the work, design, thought, inspiration, and countless hours that went into these collections, which appeal to every woman in a glamorous way, simply amazing. We decided to collaborate, and our first challenge was determining clothing sizes. What might an online solution look like that encourages customers to virtually try on clothes in online shops?

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We partnered with Fashioneura to launch the very first online webshop solution. We also wanted to make the process as realistic as possible: customers can see themselves through their laptop camera within seconds of launching the application and are scanned comfortably at home in their living room. Our mission is to bridge the gap between online and offline by providing Talbot Runhof with technologies and products that can be used in in-store solutions as well as online.

2. What can we expect from this collaboration?

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DP: We have two technology solutions that we're presenting for Talbot Runhof. First, our virtual try-on solution in our online shop Fashioneura, which allows customers to conveniently try on clothes from their laptops. It also provides size information for consumers and an alternative digital solution for the online shop. The launch has taken place and is already integrated into the Talbot Runhof website. This project with Fashioneura was fantastic, and it was a pleasure working with Oliver and his team.

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We will continue our collaboration in a second phase, in which we will also present our VR booth solution, which will be used in the store.

3. Why did you decide to integrate this technology into the Talbot Runhof shopping experience?

Oliver Gerbitz : One of the biggest issues in online fashion retail is the return rate. A high return rate ties up capital and resources and therefore has a decisive impact on the economic success of every online shop. This is particularly relevant for us as a brand, since we produce our dresses in small batches and therefore always have to strive to ensure the availability of our products in as many sizes as possible. Because high-quality service and advice have always played a major role in our business model, it was important for us from the very beginning to provide customers interested in a Talbot Runhof dress online with all the necessary information and the best possible advice. Only in this way can they order the right dress in the right size for themselves and their occasion online. Technological solutions that not only create a more personalized shopping experience but also offer real benefits to the customer and thus facilitate purchasing decisions are therefore naturally very interesting to us.

Every customer is different and wants to know exactly how a dress will look on her body, with her skin and hair color, and with her shoes, jewelry, etc. If we can give her just a little more confidence in ordering a dress with the right cut, length, sleeve style, color, and ultimately, size, Fashioneura's VR solution can be incredibly valuable for both us and our customers. This is especially true for customers who don't have the opportunity to try on a Talbot Runhof dress in a physical store in their area.

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4. How does the try-on solution aim to improve the online experience, and how does the VR booth event aim to improve the customer's in-store visit?

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DP: The virtual try-on solution aims to enhance the online experience by offering unique features tailored to customer needs. For example, the interface allows customers to simply enter their height, then stand 3 meters away from their desktop or mobile phone camera and be measured effectively. The dresses are then magically placed on the customer's body to show exactly how the dress will look.

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There are additional features to share the experience with friends simply by taking a photo to get their feedback. This webshop launch will be the first step towards providing useful data on sizes, quantities, and the creation of pre-assets, thus sustainably creating a better customer experience.

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The VR booth enhances the customer experience by offering a fun and engaging alternative digital in-store solution. We provide consumers with enhanced access through virtual reality, including access to limited-edition items. Within the VR booth, we offer patent-pending features such as a PR advertising tool that focuses on measuring advertising spend. What makes this booth unique is its location within the physical store, along with an online booking service that allows customers to reserve their experience. Furthermore, the booth will feature exclusive collections from Adrian (Runhof) & Johnny (Talbot), which customers can view and try on in the booth after their VR experience. This enhances the in-store customer experience and ultimately attracts customers back by offering an entertaining, educational, and informative alternative digital solution.

5. What is your view on the future of retail?

DP: To further pursue our future vision in retail, we hope to expand the functionality of the Fashioneura webshop application. In this context, we will launch our crowdfunding campaign to open a VR booth in the Talbot Runhof flagship store in Munich.

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The VR booth allows customers to enter the store and participate in the VR experience. Wearing VR glasses, customers can, for example, browse limited-edition designs from Talbot Runhof and physically try on the garments after purchasing them (through the virtual fitting). In the scaling phase, we will integrate VR into the new metaverse world, from marketing campaigns to art. Our goal is to bridge the gap between online and offline services by providing these two technologies.

OG : When considering technological developments, the key will be to seamlessly, intuitively, and playfully integrate the opportunities offered by VR, AR, and AI into all touchpoints along the customer journey, creating genuine added value for the customer. Ultimately, the customer decides which technology prevails and offers retailers the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage.

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Click here for a virtual fitting of a Talbot Runhof dress on their online shop.

We thank Devina Popat and Oliver Gerbitz for the interview.