Enter Quibi: Visionaire Plots Mini Documentaries for New Streaming Service
Click here to read the full article.
Fashion does not seem to fit the binge-watching mold, even for those obliged to attend fashion weeks. Some runway shows clock in under 10 minutes — and so will each episode of a new documentary series for Quibi, a forthcoming streaming app for smartphones.
“It will offer more chances for people to experiment with new subject matter. It’s not a commitment,” said Cecilia Dean, cofounder of Visionaire, which has been commissioned to deliver the series. Filming starts in March.
More from WWD
Vintage Clothing Craze Creates Supply Shortages, Prices Soar
As eBay Dominates Resale Web Traffic for May, These Sites Are Gaining Ground
The avant-garde media firm plans to home in on six fashion workers — and not those at the pinnacle — to demonstrate how dynamic and demanding the industry is behind the scenes. Subjects have yet to be selected, but Visionaire’s initial wish list includes a seamstress, fit model, set designer and music consultant.
“If someone masters a skill, you can succeed in the fashion industry. I think that’s really telling for an industry considered to be elitist,” Dean said in an interview. “And we understand the huge effort and toil that fashion requires.”
Indeed, this deep dive behind the scenes should engender appreciation for what really goes into making a designer garment, thereby subliminally sending a sustainability message. Dean said she hopes viewers might “think twice about throwing out a jacket — or buy something and treasure it more.”
Founded by Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and helmed by former eBay executive Meg Whitman, Quibi is slated to launch in April with 7,000 pieces of “news and information content that covers drama, comedy, lifestyle, fashion, beauty, entertainment, culture, sports and everything in between,” according to Gina Stikes, the firm’s head of corporate communications. She said the forthcoming platform is interested in fashion ” because it drives culture, and it’s no secret that Millennials, who are Quibi’s audience, are shaping today’s trends in the fashion industry. Visionaire’s fashion series will give Quibi’s audience a rarely seen look at the massive scope of a major fashion house in the palm of their hands.”
The Visionaire-fronted series, still untitled, is the first in fashion that Quibi has revealed. Dean and cofounder James Kaliardos transitioned into film and public art in the past five years, and conscripted the Ron Howard and Brian Grazer-backed production company New Form as a partner in the new series.
It has yet to be decided if episodes will be released in real time, or the entire series at once, Dean noted.
For more media news, see:
Justine Picardie to Exit British Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country
Freeda Media Raises $16 Million in Series B For Expansion
Vanity Fair ‘Best Dressed’ List for 2019 Includes Some First-Time A-Listers
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
