It may seem like something out of an 80s Star Wars film, but it seems like the hologram is becoming a reality in 2012.

There’s no Luke Skywalker in sight either, with the trend looking decidedly upmarket due to its use by names like Burberry.

Not exactly one to do things by halves, the luxury label has used “a holographic catwalk” to celebrate the launch of its new flagship store in Beijing.

The space, which is one of about 100 Chinese stores set to be launched or re-fitted with digital experiences, opened with 6 “real” models and a array of holographic models integrated into the show.

It comes as Burberry Group also celebrates second-half revenues climbing17.1 per cent in the six months ended March 31, to 1.03 billion pounds.

Its use of holograms is not alone, with another notable brand, Coca-Cola, being involved this month in a augmented reality retail product installation that uses holograms.

The installation, which was created by a company called RealFiction, uses a real bottle of Coca-Cola to project sensational images, like fake soft drink bubbles and flashing rainbows.

And then there’s a totally different market altogether: the massively hyped US-based Coachella Valley Music Festival, which blew away its live audience and millions of Internet viewers on Monday via a surprise appearance.

During the set of rap artists Dre Dre and Snoop Dogg, another rapper, Tupac – who has been dead for over 15 years – also appeared for multiple songs… via the use of a hologram.

The appearance subsequently made headlines across the world and set Twitter on fire, but it wasn’t a cheap exercise for the festival attendants, with a reported cost of $100,000 to project.