[Feature] Passion for Fashion in the Metaverse

In this day and age where virtually almost everything you see is digital and everywhere you venture to is automated, no one wants to be left behind, especially not for industries like technology, whereby everything is always advancing as well as fashion, whereby creativity and self-expression flows endlessly. With so many games having already jumped into the metaverse bandwagon ages ago, it is not surprising that the fashion sector is close on its tail. From virtual runways to digital fittings, and more, fashion fits into the metaverse world in more ways than you can imagine.

A case in point is the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) ─ to celebrate their 60^th anniversary, the council is looking to the future via the metaverse and Web3. CFDA CEO Steven Kolb commented that, “The CFDA has always pioneered creative and innovative thinking, and with our first metaverse exhibition and NFTs, we are embracing this new era of digital transformation.” In order to bring the initiatives to life, they are working “alongside The Sandbox with guidance from Polygon Studios, and partnership with creative consultancy 5Crypto”. The metaverse exhibition, to be opened next month in The Sandbox, is called “Fashioning the Shades of American Design”.

To top it off, the CFDA has requested “select designers to create eight exclusive 60^th anniversary creative designs and experiences to be minted into NFTs.” Each NFT comes with utility perks that will permit “unprecedented access”. CEO and co-founder of The Sandbox added on, “We truly hope to inspire the next generation of fashion designers to imagine, design and bring to life NFT collections that combine expression and utility and will be playable in the metaverse!” Following the 2022 CFDA Fashion Awards (held just this Monday), the NFTs will launch on CFDA.com on the third week of November.

The metaverse exhibit will feature looks from designers like Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Anna Sui, Tory Burch, and many others

Fashion in the metaverse is not only limited to brands; it applies to one’s digital identity and more. Since the pandemic, people have been spending time online more than before, that is especially so when it comes to meetings, social media, and games. How does fashion fit into this then? By entwining virtual design with physical fashion so the new fashion technology will be a complete package ─ from customising your online avatar’s look, to digital fittings and samplings, and virtual runways.

Darren Vukasinovic, founder of virtual reality (VR) and streaming startup Inverse, noted at a panel on Fashion and the Metaverse hosted by The Masters of Creative Education, that it did not take long for people to question their identity when they are living in a digital space. Traditional fashion sampling involves a lot of cost, work, time, and waste, which is something digital technologies can alleviate. “…we stop having to create all that wastage in sampling…we can see it digitally… it will create a new, efficient way for people to experience fashion,” said Australian fashion designer Daniel Avakian. In short, the efficiencies include sustainability perks like lower greenhouse gases, waste, and transport miles.

Digital campaigns can offer new ways of marketing clothing. Avakian explained that during New York Fashion week for their finale dress, they took a Metaverse asset and brought it into reality and let it strut the runway.

Avakian’s company has been exploring the use of 3D body-scanning technology to create red carpet gowns

But what if you are on the other end of the fashion metaverse spectrum ─ you prefer to design and study instead of purely being just a consumer? Fret not, with the partnership between Parsons School of Design and Roblox that includes a 16-week collaborative and production-driven course, students get to “create hyper-realistic and inclusive 3D digital apparel”. According to Ben Barry, PhD, Dean and Associate Professor of Equity and Inclusion, School of Fashion at Parsons, “Designers of the future will need to create in 3D and push the boundaries of creativity with metaverse-only garments, accessories, and collections that can be made available with lightning-fast speed to millions of consumers.”

Based on the 2022 Metaverse Fashion Trends report by Parsons and Roblox, it is noted that 70% of Gen Z says that they dress their avatars as close to their in-real-life (IRL) persona and about 75% express that they pay for digital fashion

Just last Thursday, House of Blueberry (HoB) and Natori announced the design and launch of a virtual fashion collection that debuts the perfect blend of Natori’s iconic designs with the magic of the metaverse for all avatars in Roblox. Katherine Manuel, COO at Blueberry, pointed out that “Many brands have built strong foundations on a direct-to-consumer model, and we are pioneering this approach in the metaverse by offering avatar fashion directly to users.”

The collection features printed robes, matching sets, earrings, sunglasses, and four new hairstyles

This year’s New York Fashion Week highlighted some fascinating concepts the incorporated the metaverse and Web3 ─ one of which was the VR and in-person fashion event hosted by award-winning creator of experiential Web3 events Nolcha Shows. It entailed participants experiencing groundbreaking technology that combined fashion in the metaverse, digital avatars, augmented reality, and digital wearables. Arthur Mandel, co-founder of The Nolcha Shows said that the goal “is to create a new destination, or highway, connecting Web2 and Web3 communities where they can work together.” Participants got to visualise how different clothing looks on the runway using augmented reality, eliminating the hassle of physically changing into the clothes.

It seems pretty obvious that the fashion industry has been transformed with the incorporation of the metaverse. As demand for digital fashion increases, its impact will snowball, giving rise to its prestige. This makeover of the traditional fashion industry will allow a wider outreach of new markets and audiences.