EE  will debut the world’s first 5G-powered augmented reality (AR) dress live on the red carpet at the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 on 2 February. The dress, 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 awards ceremony. The dress will transform before their eyes as she makes her was along the red carpet, while spectators outside the Royal Albert Hall will see the dress come to life digitally via Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G smartphones, situated along the red carpet to capture the AR transformation as it happens. There will also be a live stream on @ee’s Twitter feed from 4pm on the day.

The AR dress was designed by London-based fashion designer Richard Malone in collaboration with EE. Made from ethically-sourced fabric, including recycled, regenerative ocean waste, recycled wool and wadding from ex-factory waste, the dress is hand-sewn, with over 100,000 stitches and took over 250 hours to complete. Made up of six layers in total, the dress contains over 12 body-length wires, totalling over 18 metres in length, and 18 sensor bulbs which, on the night, will transform to create the world’s first 5G-powered AR dress.

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.

“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,” said Pete Jeavons, director of marketing communications at BT and EE. “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.”

The EE British Academy Film Awards red carpet will be broadcast live on BAFTA’s official Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds from 5pm to 6.30pm on Sunday 2 February. 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 9pm to 11pm, with the opportunity to watch online or on catch-up via BBC iPlayer.