The development of modern digital technology has induced critical changes in nowadays’ society, culture, art etc., and produced a new paradigm.
Digital graffiti is a word combining ''digital'' and ''graffiti, a new art converging digital art and graffiti, on the foundation of science and art. In fashion areas, designers have attempted to integrate the artistry of digital graffiti into their works. With the features of creative medium for artistic expression, digital graffiti have been used to induce consumers’ direct participation and rewarded with noticeable commercial success.
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of digital graffiti as a new creative tool in fashion through analysis of its expressive features and methods merged in fashion and to further expose the fashion designer’s creative expression in the extended design sphere utilizing digital graffiti elements.
The study has been empirically conducted through theoretical research and case study. The main scope of this study focuses on the fashion cases using digital media, which is a crucial element of digital graffiti art. For this analysis digital graffiti fashion photographs were selected from websites showcasing collections from 2005 to 2014. The results of the analysis was classified into four categories: ''Costume Design'', ''Fashion Show'', ''Display'' and ''Fashion Film''. Additionally, they were sub-divided into six topics: ''Digital Graffiti Type'', ''Digital Graffiti Characteristics'', ''Item'', ''Material'', ''Color'' and ''Design Concept''. The results from the analysis of fashion cases using digital graffiti may be summarized as follows.
First, the design-oriented expression of digital graffiti in fashion was classified, based on its characteristics, into four categories: ''Immateriality'', ''Interactivity'', ''Site-Specificity'' and ''Playfulness''.
Represented through lights and images in digital media, ‘Immateriality’ was shown throughout all cases in this analysis. Immateriality was ascertained in lasers, LEDs etc. directly beamed on costumes, or in projected images in augmented reality mode, in augmented reality images that were staged in air of fashion show runways, in display boards composed of light, and in dramatic fashion films projected on street walls and screens. The ‘Interactivity’ signifies changes arising from interactions; and was ascertained mainly in costume designs and displays responding to human movements through sensors. In costume designs the graffiti images changed with movements of wearer; in fashion shop displays, the digital graffiti images on bulletin boards changed in response to touches by the consumers. The ''Site-Specificity'' means the feature conveying messages specific to a place; digital graffiti has shown that it can accommodate the fashion concepts associated with places such as fashion shows where the digital graffiti is staged, fashion store displays attracting consumers’ interest and street walls where fashion films are projected. ''Playfulness'' is a visual fun and experiential enjoyment from digital graffiti, which were primarily ascertained in costume designs and displays. The examples of playfulness may include lights and images expressing visual effects, special costumes integrating stage performance and entertainment effect and display stages with interfacing spaces provided as play tools for consumers’ participation.
Second, Design-oriented expression of digital graffiti in fashion drew ‘Fantastic Storytelling’, ‘Mixing of Materials and Non-materials’, ‘Convergence of Human and Digital Media’, ‘Utilizing of Site-Specificity’ and ‘Performance by Viewer Participation’.
‘Fantastic Storytelling’ expressed themes such as ''Sun'', ''UFO'', ''Science Fiction Film'', ''Fantasy Fairy Tale'', and ''Universe'' through lasers, lights, augmented reality and LED graffiti. ‘Mixing of Materials and Non-materials’ matched immaterial lights and images with physical clothing materials and space, effectively expressing imaginary spheres that were not expressible with the existing materials. ''Convergence with Human and Digital Media’ accentuated the active participation of spectators thereby causing human and digital Media to interact each other. Designer''s ideas and unexpected responses of spectators realized various digital graffiti effects, which came across by sheer chances. ''Utilizing of Site-Specificity'' met with the best results when the digital graffiti was expressed in context of a place or location where a fashion show, fashion store display or fashion film screening is taking place. ''Performance by Consumer Participation'' intended to induce voluntary participation from consumers by providing the fashion digital graffiti as play tools, and created new fashion digital graffiti or altered existing stereotypes, thereby invoking new visual and tactile experiences.
Third, Digital graffiti characteristics and digital technologies enabled the creative expression in fashion design, which can be characterized as ''Realistic Embodiment of a Fantastic Concept'', ‘Convergence of Materials and Non-materials for Creative Expression of Fashion’ and ''Presenting a New Fashion Design Process''.
Creatively chosen digital graffiti created virtual images embodying the imagination of fashion designers. In addition, immaterial digital graffiti, which were expressed through lights and videos, successfully merged with clothing materials and physical spaces thereby expanding the realm of creative expression methods of fashion design. Fusion of the consumers and digital media in active interaction presented a creative fashion design process when the designers’ ideas met unexpected responses of spectators by sheer chances.
Likewise, today''s digital graffiti are emerging in various fields and the trend of fashion-digital graffiti integration has already created interesting works.
Predictably, digital graffiti will incessantly agitate fashion designers'' inspiration and find its way to creative media that will enable the designers to express in reality what is available only in imagination.