Going digital: the end of an era for physical clothes?

9

October

2022

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As times change, so does fashion. It is widely known that the fashion industry is always evolving and with the constant development of technological trends, fashion goes with it. The fashion industry already changed to a more sustainable and customer-focused area as virtual fitting rooms were put into practice and new ways of producing clothing were developed (Cheuck, 2022). But now a whole new part of the fashion industry is big business: digital clothing.

Digital clothing are virtually designed clothes especially made using 3D software and computer technologies. These clothes are made of pixels rather than textiles and are designed for both humans and avatars. In the digital world the possibilities are endless, creating the opportunity to design clothing that would not be possible in the physical world (Stephenson Law, 2022). Secondly, it makes buying clothing much easier. People do not have to think about if and how it fits, if the product is ethical and how it looks (Santos, 2021).

As the Metaverse expands, everyone will soon have a digital copy of themselves, making it possible for the digital fashion to play a significant role in how we create our virtual selves. If you want to look good in the physical world, so must your avatar in the online world. In March the first Metaverse Fashion Week took place where big names as Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce & Gabbana showed their digital clothing. Besides existing (physical) brands, also Web3.0 brands Fang Gang and DeadFellaz offer digital clothing (Stephenson Law, 2022).

However, digital fashion is not only limited to dress up your avatar in games or in the Metaverse. Digital clothes can also be sold as NFT’s (non-fungible tokens). You only need to upload a picture and choose the digital garment you would like to buy. After your payment, you will receive your picture with the digital clothing item portrayed on your body (Stephenson Law, 2022). In this way, designers of digital clothing can authenticate the original ownership of their creations and also receive payments when they sell a piece (Nguyen, 2022).

Although it may seem that digital fashion is the next big thing when it comes to sustainable fashion, it cannot be seen as a substitute for physical clothing. Not to forget that NFT’s have their own way of polluting the environment. Nevertheless, it can be a nice addition to the items in your closet in the battle against fast fashion (Nguyen, 2022).

References:

Cheuck, L. (2022). Boutiques in Your Phones: How Has Technology Changed the Fashion Industry? Jumpstart Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.jumpstartmag.com/how-has-technology-changed-the-fashion-industry/

Nguyen, T. (2022). What’s the point of digital clothes? VOX. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22893254/digital-fashion-metaverse-real-clothes

Santos, R. (2021). People Are Buying Digital Clothes Because That’s a Thing Now. VICE. Retrieved from: https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvzqz/virtual-digital-clothes-fashion-game-skins-metaverse

Stephenson Law. (2022). Digital Fashion: What is it? Where Did it Come From? And Where is it Going? Stephenson Law. Retrieved from: https://www.stephenson.law/blog/digital-fashion-what-is-it-where-did-it-come-from-and-where-is-it-going

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Web 3.0 Looks Good On You

3

October

2022

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Can the Metaverse change fashion as we know it?

The emergence of immersive interaction spaces is transforming digital environments into outstandingly collaborative and sensorial virtual worlds. Such potential levels of engagement presented by the future Metaverse are opening the door to a new era of fashion. Brands and designers are accordingly making out the opportunity to take their engagement with consumers to the next level and to unlock completely new revenue streams.
This new digital world brings the concept of virtual fashion to life in multiple shapes and disciplines where the industry can reach new cohorts.
In this regard, gaming is currently a major target for fashion brands, as it gradually turns into a near substitute of the real world where clothes are becoming a sign of in-game status (McKinsey & Company, 2022). Several brands are already partnering with immersive games such as Fortnite or Roblox by offering exclusive digital garments or ‘skins’ in the shape of in-game merchandise. In June 2021, a player acquired a Gucci bag on the game Roblox for more than $4,000, an amount that overly exceeded the price of the equivalent real-world physical bag (Gonzalez, 2020). And this is just an example of the new fashion wave in videogames, which is creating a new revenue stream for brands.
A considerable part of the enthusiasm about the Metaverse points in the direction of NFTs, as they can bring value in several ways that the fashion industry can utilize to their benefit. For instance, and more importantly, by utilizing blockchain, NFTs have undeniable proof attached to them of both the creator and the owner of the item (Joy, et al., 2022). This can solve the everlasting problem of authentication in the fashion industry, but now in the digital paradigm. Blockchain provides uniqueness and traceability, so brands’ identity is protected, together with their revenue streams (Gonzalez, 2020).
The rise of digital fashion in immersive platforms is also setting the scene for an emerging business model in the industry that plays a crucial role in the inevitable disruption process. Direct to Avatar (D2A) consists of the sale of items to game avatars or characters through the digital environment, and thus omitting all types of supply chain management steps needed to deliver physical products to a consumer (McKinsey & Company, 2022). Multinational brand American Eagle was one of the first to step into this disruptive initiative in July 2021, when it released a fully digital collection for Bitmoji, an avatar creation platform (Adams, 2021).
These and more advantages offered by the coming Metaverse is turning the fashion industry towards fully digital offerings and creating infinite opportunities for new revenue streams. This is especially shocking in an industry which has traditionally been sustained on physical interactions with consumers.

References

Adams, P., 2021. American Eagle debuts digital clothing on Bitmoji in creator-focused push. Marketing Dive, 5 August, pp. Retrieved from: www.marketingdive.com/news/american-eagle-debuts-digital-clothing-on-bitmoji-in-creator-focused-push/604402/.

Gonzalez, P., 2020. Digital Fashion In The Metaverse, Milano: Politecnico di Milano, School of Design. Retrieved from: https://www.politesi.polimi.it/handle/10589/188809

Joy, A., Zhu, Y., Peña, C. & Brouard, M., 2022. Digital Future of Luxury Brands: Metaverse, Digital Fashion and Non-Fungible Tokens. Strategic Change, 31(3), pp. 337-343. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jsc.2502

McKinsey & Company, 2022. The State Of Fashion 2022, Retrieved from: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/retail/our%20insights/state%20of%20fashion/2022/the-state-of-fashion-2022.pdf?shouldIndex=false: McKinsey & Company

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