Shanghai Fashion Week is partnering with Alibaba’s B2C marketplace Tmall to hold its first fully digital event due to restrictions on gatherings caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The entire roster of runway shows will be streamed online on Tmall from March 24–30. More than 150 international brands and designers will showcase their latest autumn-winter collections via the Alibaba Group digital platforms.

Readers can watch the opening show of Shanghai Fashion Week here tonight (March 24) at 6pm Beijing time via Taobao Live from your phone or computerWatchers of this year’s Shanghai Fashion Week can immediately purchase the items they see on the runway without having to wait for the collections to hit the shelves.

“We have integrated some of Alibaba’s most advanced technologies to bring a new and elevated experience to consumers,” said Tmall Fashion and FMCG GM Mike Hu. “This partnership with Shanghai Fashion Week allows us to leverage our experience in digitising brick-and-mortar retail stores and explore a new format for brand and product launches, bringing together technologies like livestreaming, short-form videos, DingTalk and Tmall Flagship Store 2.0 in a full-chain solution.”

Covid-19 has forced the cancellation and rescheduling of many global fashion events, including the Milan Fashion Week originally scheduled for February.

Tmall intends for its “cloud launch” format to broaden out the reach and appeal of traditional product-launch events this year. According to material released by the firm, brands will interact with consumers virtually across an extended timeline and physical locations, from warm-up previews to the live broadcast and post-event interviews.

The platform plans to team up with global brands to launch 360-degree marketing campaigns that cater to Chinese audiences, said Hu.