LONDON — Fresh off a high-energy tour to ComplexCon Hong Kong, Paolina Russo is giving its second Dover Street Market pop-up an interactive spin.
Empowered by FabriX, a Hong Kong government-backed digital fashion initiative, the brand on Thursday debuted a capsule collection of six looks, both physically and digitally, exclusive to Dover Street Market in the U.K.
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The custom pieces were first designed for and worn by K-pop sensation NJZ, formerly known as NewJeans, at the Tokyo Dome concert in 2024 before the popular South Korean girl group got entangled in a legal dispute with its management firm, Ador. Last month, NJZ it would pause all activities for the foreseeable future.
With FabriX’s AR try-on technology, NJZ fans and DSM shoppers can virtually experience Paolina Russo’s designs before making a purchase decision. The interactive element extends beyond the store, as customers can download their AR portraits to share across social platforms.
Paolina Russo is no stranger to digital fashion, having teamed with digital fashion platform Sknups to translate three key looks of its fall 2023 collection for Roblox last year.
The pop-up marks Paolina Russo’s third collaboration with FabriX, having created a digital look based on its main collection — an oversize sunset tie-dye hoodie and a pair of jeans in a similar treatment — for the spring 2025 edition of Paris Fashion Week and a black version of the NJZ look exclusive to ComplexCon Hong Kong.
“We have been together with FabriX for two weeks now. We started in Hong Kong, and now we moved the AR concept to London. It’s been a nice journey together. And it’s nice to do with DSM. Everything they do is very future-thinking, and there’s so much appreciation for emerging talents and new ideas,” said Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard, cofounders of the brand.
Shin Wong, founder of FabriX, said Paolina Russo’s Dover Street Market pop-up represents a fusion of high fashion and innovative technology.
“By bringing our AR try-on experience to this prestigious location, we’re fundamentally changing how consumers interact with designer collections and addressing critical production challenges faced by independent designers,” she said.
“Our technology creates a win-win scenario. Shoppers enjoy a frictionless, interactive experience, while designers benefit too. Though not available at this pop-up, our preorder service — successfully demonstrated at ComplexCon Hong Kong 2025 — will soon allow labels like Paolina Russo to produce exactly what sells, reducing waste and costs while preserving creative vision,” Wong added.
FabriX was founded in 2022 with the mission to “weave a new reality for fashion” and to introduce the next generation of local creative talents to global fashion audiences. It offers support to designers through all stages of the digital design journey from sketch, design and 3D digital production to listing on global digital fashion marketplaces.
The initiative is being presented by the Hong Kong-based creative hub PMQ, a not-for-profit social enterprise. PMQ has 100 million Hong Kong dollars, or almost $13 million, in funding from the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation, while Create Hong Kong, of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, serves as the lead sponsor.
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