Ralph Lauren ready to wow crowds with its 4D sound and light shows

In honor of the tenth anniversary of its US e-commerce site and to toast the recent launch of its UK version, Ralph Lauren is staging one-of-a-kind public 4D fashion spectacles tonight (November 10) at its new Madison Avenue location in New York and its Bond Street flagship in London.

The sensory experience, scheduled to last for ten minutes, will involve ambient sound and even a mist of Ralph Lauren fragrance as the facade of its two flagships light up with projected images of giant models and polo players towering over the crowds at four stories tall. The public art shows will illuminate the evening sky and give audiences the impression that the virtual models are gliding towards them. Those who are unable to attend the events live will be able to experience them a day later (November 11) via Ralph Lauren's website.

David Lauren, son of the company founder, told the International Herald Tribune that he considers the mind-boggling shows as the ultimate collusion of fashion, art and technology. 'It's game changing - it blows my mind - it changes the way we look at architecture; it will change retail, movies, advertising, everything.' The spectacles were created by superimposing optical effects created by tiny pixels of light over projected 3D replicas of the buildings.

Ralph Lauren's latest technological feat is a testament to the brand's digital prowess. Last month, the brand ranked second (tied with Louis Vuitton) in the Digital IQ Index of Luxury Brands, developed by Scott Galloway, a professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University and the founder of the New York-based marketing analysis firm Luxury Lab. The study quantified the digital competence of 72 global luxury brands by accessing brand websites, digital marketing strategies, social media initiatives and mobile applications.

Ralph Lauren earned accolades for its saavy mobile phone applications, burgeoning e-commerce site (the US operation garners an estimated $200 million per year), RLTV, as well as other innovative interactive shopping features. Most recently, Ralph Lauren expanded its e-commerce operation by launching a dedicated UK site.

Another company that recently wowed crowds with a eye-popping fashion show for the public is the giant US discount retailer Target, known for its affordable designer collaborations with industry heavyweights like Alexander McQueen, Proenza Shouelr and Mulberry. This past August, Target rented out the entire Standard Hotel in New York and hired numerous dancers and models to perform a synchronized show in the htoel windows. The production was rumored to have cost a whopping $1.5 million.

Watch the Ralph Lauren 4D show live:

888 Madison Avenue

New York

8 PM local time

1 New Bond Street

London

8 PM local time

Watch the Ralph Lauren 4D show online at:

http://www.ralphlauren.com/home/index.jsp?ab=global_logo