Having just moved to New York, I quickly found something to be true: the city is expensive. Yes, I know that this is common knowledge, but is different when you are here. Recently I became obsessed with finding free activities to fill my days. It’s a nice opportunity to go to different places and not spend money. That’s how I learned about the Prada Virtual Flower Lab.
Fashion Week seemed impossible to be a part of, but a free pop-up experience?! Sign me up! Without any knowledge of what the event was, I registered for a ticket a week in advance. I wanted to feel like I was part of this huge celebration of fashion. On that day, I felt compelled to dress up, do my makeup, and not be late (this is something I’ve always struggled with!).
When arriving at the venue (I was not late) I immediately felt overwhelmed. People were wearing fancy clothes, using designer brands and they all looked boujee. There were two lines: one for walk-ins and the other for people who RSVPed. Luckily I had my reservation confirmed because if not, I would have waited a long time. A woman close to me complained that she had been waiting for three hours. I wondered if what was inside would be worth waiting that much (spoiler alert: it wasn’t).
The first thing I saw at the event were phones. Everyone was taking pictures of everything: the scenario, the products, and even, themselves. People were promoting a brand for free. They just wanted to be a part of it, like I wanted to be a part of Fashion Week. Although everything looked pretty, here is what was lacking:
The pop-up was promoting Prada’s newest women's fragrance: the Paradoxe Virtual Flower. This perfume uses Artificial Intelligence to enhance the floral scent. It is supposed to be a “testament to florality.” Women have always been associated with flowers, so I expected a different take on what a flower can represent. Instead, the product was not the main attraction, let alone florality. All people cared about was showing that they were connected to the brand. It wasn’t an attractive idea to me, but it was a good marketing strategy for Prada.
This was the first fashion house event that I have ever been to. My expectations were high. So it shocked me when it didn’t feel special. And that came mostly from the workers. Perhaps I didn’t have a great experience because my time slot was at the end of the last day of the pop-up. They had attended a lot of people during that weekend, and when I got there, maybe they didn’t care as much. It would have been nice to get some information over at the “Olfactive Discovery Room”, where scent-infused bubbles would pop on you (this was the coolest part of the event), but no one was there.
I sympathize with the workers because I’ve also worked with events and I know how tiring it can be to say the same thing over and over again. Dealing with people is not easy. But for a Fashion Week event, it felt amateur.