Paula Abdul, JoJo Siwa, Coi Leray, Ty Dolla $ign and Toni Braxton are some of the stars who appear on the Hulu competition series Dress My Tour, where fashion designers compete to win $100,000 by creating stage outfits that best reflect each artist’s vision. But as choreographer and creative director Laurieann Gibson, one of the show’s judges, explains, designing for the runway and designing for a concert are two different things.

“It’s not a one-night-only. It’s five shows a week, 32 cities, seven months,” she tells ABC Audio. “So how does that sustainability apply when choosing the fabric? If the singer needs that chest movement, the arms, the lifting — it’s very, very important to understand functionality.”

Gibson, who’s worked with artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Beyoncé, says Dress My Tour is special because it pulls back the curtain on the process between the artist and their creative team in terms of crafting their image.

“Right now, where we are in music and fashion … the magic is still needed,” she says. “The razzle dazzle to change and impact a generation is still required.” 

And if you want an example of an artist who’s doing that right now, look no further than Taylor Swift.

“[She’s] paying attention to every possible detail and really bringing the magic on a high level,” Gibson says. And she hopes showing what goes into those kinds of creative triumphs will allow Dress My Tour to continue for multiple seasons.

She notes, “Because it is so creative, it’s so outside the box and it’s such a new narrative, there’s so much we can do as far as inspiration and innovation with the conversation we’ve started.” 

Dress My Tour is streaming now.

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