EE to open BAFTA film awards with world’s first 5G powered augmented reality dress
EE will debut the world’s first 5G-powered Augmented Reality dress live on the red carpet at the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020. This one-of-a-kind dress, brought to life by EE and designed by multi-disciplinary artist, Richard Malone, will be worn by presenter Maya Jama, as EE opens the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time.
Film and fashion fans on the red carpet will be able to watch the spectacle unfold as Maya makes her entrance at the prestigious awards ceremony. Using state of the art digital technology, the unique dress will transform before their eyes as they watch her journey on the red carpet, thanks to the power of 5G. Spectators outside the Royal Albert Hall will see the dress come to life digitally via the latest Samsung 
Galaxy Fold 5G smartphones. The unique smartphone, featuring six state-of-the-art cameras and a foldable 7.3-inch display will be situated along the red carpet to capture the breath-taking AR transformation as it happens, offering a truly immersive view for onlookers. As Maya continues along the red carpet, fans will experience a showstopping finale moment on the EE stage, as the bespoke 5G powered AR dress redefines red carpet dressing as we know it.
A dress with endless digital possibilities
The custom-made Augmented Reality dress was designed by London-based fashion designer Richard Malone in collaboration with EE. Known for creating unique sculptural pieces and for his pioneering work in fabric innovation, Malone has merged fashion and technology for the first time to create one physical outfit with endless digital possibilities.
The couture dress – made from ethically sourced fabric including recycled, regenerative ocean waste, recycled wool and wadding from ex-factory waste – is hand sewn with over 100,000 stitches and took over 250 hours to complete. Made up of six layers in total, the bespoke dress contains over twelve full body length wires, totalling over 18 metres in length, and eighteen sensor bulbs which, on the night, will transform to create the world’s first 5G-powered AR dress.
Get the look at home
Following the unmissable moment this AR experience is unveiled, EE’s red carpet host, Maya, will showcase her AR dress to the stars and invite them to try out a brand-new bespoke AR Instagram lens – which fans can also try out for themselves at home.
The lens has been created to complement and sit alongside the AR dress, designed especially for the EE BAFTAs. Inspired by the effects seen in the AR dress, Maya will encourage stars to pose for a selfie wearing the bespoke EE BAFTA Lashes Lens, captured using the incredible dual front camera on the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G, which will be shared directly from the red carpet via EE’s social channels.
Fans wanting to experience the magic of AR for themselves can head to the @ee Instagram profile page, launch the Lens filter, and simply tap ‘try it’ on the bottom left hand corner to capture a selfie of their own wearing the EE BAFTA Lashes Lens.
Tune in live
Film and fashion fans at home who want to be a part of the world first can tune into EE’s official live stream by visiting @ee’s Twitter from 4:00pm on Sunday 2nd February to watch the unmissable moment unfold at the Royal Albert Hall. Live updates will also be available across @ee’s Instagram and Facebook channels.
Maya Jama, EE’s red carpet host at the EE BAFTAs said: “I totally love the awards season. Not only do I get the huge excitement of opening the red carpet for the EE BAFTAs I get to do it in a bespoke augmented reality dress that comes to life, thanks to EE’s 5G technology. I love making a fun entrance, but this will be off the scale! It’s been an incredible experience seeing what’s possible with AR technology, and the best news is that everyone at home watching can try out the Lashes Lens for themselves too.”
Richard Malone, Fashion Designer said: “The design challenges that come with creating something new are what get me up in the morning. When EE got in touch with such a progressive brief, I couldn’t say no. My work is generally all about the human touch – we’re a small team in my atelier, working by hand – and this project has allowed me to integrate technology into my work in a completely new way.”
Pete Jeavons, Director of Marketing Communications at BT and EE added: “This year, we will open the red carpet of the EE BAFTAs using our award-winning network and its unique capabilities to turn red carpet fashion on its head, as we bring together physical and digital fashion to create the world’s first 5G powered AR dress. In a never-before seen moment in film awards history, we will be using our network to show how the seemingly impossible can be made possible through 5G technology, giving fans a taster of the future of fashion.”
EE has been a long-standing partner of BAFTAs Film Awards for the past 22 years, working with BAFTA to bring film fans closer to the awards through the magic of technology. Since the partnership began, EE has not only worked with BAFTA to introduce the EE Rising Star Award but also used its award-winning network to create new and exciting opportunities for film fans to be part of the action on the red carpet.
The EE British Academy Film Awards red carpet will be broadcast live on BAFTA’s official Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from 5:00pm to 6:30pm on Sunday 2nd February 2020. For film fans who live in the UK, the awards ceremony will also be aired as-live on BBC One and BBC One HD from 9:00pm to 11:00pm, with the opportunity to watch online or on catch-up via BBC iPlayer.
