Gloria's Helsinki fashion show played out on 200 square metres of screen

A magazine fashion show needed its own spectacle while keeping the models and collections — 'the real heroes of the event' — at the centre of attention.

The heavier narrative film ran in the show's breaks; abstract animations played during the runway sets, drawing attention back to the models. Film director and illustrator Ville Salervo led the visuals, with animation, compositing and production by Boutique Animation's team and additional animation by Pauli Setälä and Lisa Baillon.

Won a Member Club Gold Award in Spatial/Experiential Design at ADC*E's 2019 edition.

The ADC*E awards archive documents Gloria magazine's 2018 fashion show in Helsinki, where Finland's top brands and student showcases took centre stage — surrounded by 200 square metres of video screen built by animation studio Boutique Animation.

The screen carried a three-part story in which three Venetian legends fought each other. The heavier narrative was placed in the show's breaks, while abstract animations were used during the runway sets, deliberately drawing attention back to the models and collections, 'the real heroes of the event'.

The visual team was led by film director and illustrator Ville Salervo, with animation and compositing by Jyri Pieniniemi, additional animation by Pauli Setälä and Lisa Baillon, and agency production by Harri Hännikäinen. The work won a Member Club Gold Award in Graphic Design, Spatial/Experiential Design at ADC*E's 2019 edition.

A 200-square-metre surround made the audience live inside the magazine's story world.

Slotting narrative into the breaks and abstraction into the walks protected the clothes' starring role.

A three-act legend gave the show a reason to keep watching between looks.

The ADC*E Member Club Gold gave the craft a verifiable European jury stamp.

In live events, structure beats spectacle: schedule the story for the breaks so the screens support the clothes instead of competing with them.

The show ran in Helsinki in 2018 and the work was awarded at ADC*E's 2019 edition. No audience or commercial results were reported.