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Zalando pilots virtual production to elevate visual experience for customers

October 21, 2021
Technology
Fashion model behind the scenes in front of an impressive skyline backdrop
  • Partnership with ORENDT STUDIOS brings virtual production to Zalando’s Designer Category
  • Products are shown in front of a New York skyline - shot in Hamburg
  • Zalando is the first fashion platform to use digital backdrop technology at scale
  • After successful pilot, Zalando plans to integrate virtual production technologies into their existing content production solutions

BERLIN, OCTOBER 21, 2021 // Zalando, Europe’s leading platform for fashion and lifestyle, is partnering with the Hamburg-based creative content production group ORENDT STUDIOS to bring virtual production to Zalando’s Designer Category. ORENDT’s technology allows any background to be projected on a 6m x 4m LED screen, creating the impression the image was shot in a variety of dynamic locations and environments. The addition of virtual production techniques supports Zalando’s goal to be the Starting Point for Fashion, by unlocking the potential to showcase its assortment in a range of lifelike environments, or digital worlds, to create an elevated visual experience for customers.

Matthias Haase, Managing Director Zalando Studios: “We’re very excited to be the first platform to pilot virtual production at scale for product shoots. Partnering with ORENDT STUDIOS enables us to bring storytelling to our product detail page without having to move our product shoots to different locations or build elaborate sets. For the fashion industry, this technology marks a new, cost-efficient and more sustainable way of elevating product content without compromising on the quality of images.”

For the first shoot in front of an LED screen, Zalando chose products from luxury and advanced contemporary brands, part of the Zalando Designer category, with focus on occasion wear. Among these brands are Christopher Kane, N21, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Roksanda and Phillip Lim. The products are set against digitally projected scenes of New York rooftops and streets, but were physically photographed at a production studio in Hamburg.

Portrait of Torsten Orendt in glasses and beanie sitting on a desk in front of a big glass window

“We are proud to partner with Zalando for this special project and shoot their first virtual production campaign with products and brands from Zalando Designer. Since LED screen technology has been used in the film industry for years, we are proud to bring it to a level where it can also be used in the fashion industry” Torsten Orendt, CEO and Founder of ORENDT STUDIOS comments.

Portrait of Anaheta Berenberg

Anaheta Metghalchi von Berenberg, Buying Director Zalando Designer: “This partnership offers us a new creative production concept for our luxury and designer brands, moving beyond the traditional white backdrops and elevating the total look and feel of our online environment for Zalando Designer. Shooting within inspiring environments offers us the possibility to extend designer brand campaigns to product images, inspiring our customers and elevating their shopping experience from initial browsing, through to purchase".

The product shots featuring virtual production are already live in the Zalando Designer category at the Fashion store.

About Zalando Designer

Zalando Designer has evolved into a distinct proposition dedicated to luxury shopping and featuring elevated experience throughout the entire customer journey. Zalando Designer is a destination for luxury fashion inspiration where consumers can discover and shop both established and emerging brands that share their values. Zalando Designer is home to brands including Victoria Beckham and Alberta Ferretti and has recently launched new advanced contemporary and luxury brands including Christopher Kane, 032C and Mansur Gavriel. Zalando Designer’s aspiration is to be the platform of choice for both customers and brands that advance sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

Zalando SE Boiler Plate EN

About Zalando

Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando is Europe’s leading online multi-brand fashion destination. We are building a pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce, along two growth vectors: Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B). In B2C, we provide an inspiring, high-quality multi-brand shopping experience for fashion and lifestyle products to more than 50 million active customers across 25 markets. In B2B, we leverage our logistics infrastructure, software, and service capabilities to support brands and retailers in managing and scaling their entire e-commerce business, both on and off the Zalando platform. Through our ecosystem vision, Zalando aims to enable positive change in the fashion and lifestyle industry.

About ORENDT STUDIOS:

ORENDT STUDIOS is Europe’s leading creative content production, founded in 1999. The concept studio for digital content production is one of the best addresses for high-quality photo and film productions. ORENDT STUDIOS design and produce photo and digital content for customers in the area of branded goods and e-commerce. We offer holistic and tailor-made productions from agency services to content management as well as 360 degrees of media competence – from product stills to campaigns, live shopping, CGI and virtual production. Our vision is to create inspiring content with a high impact in e-commerce for our customers.