Digital trendsetters predict that one day everyone will be able to wear clothes in seemingly impossible colors and designs by strolling through massive virtual warehouses, trying them on in real time, throwing them away and trying again.
And at a time when urban fashion shows began to gradually return to the major fashion capitals, lovers of the latest trends can now appear in clothes that can be worn exclusively on social networks or video games, in a phenomenon fueled by global closure measures that could cause significant (effects) in the sector.
The prices of these forward-looking clothes – which are accomplished by young designers – range from a few dozen dollars or bitcoins, to thousands of them, if the customer wants to enjoy an exclusive design globally. These trades are made through NFT technology. There are also outfits that people can dress up as their favorite Avatar.
Thus, a world is formed full of composite images and people with thick black glasses who move according to what appears to them in this “metaverse” (parallel world), as in the movie “Ready Player One” by Steven Spielberg released in 2018.
No carbon emissions
“We create without anything physical at all. Fashion is an experience before anything else. We don’t necessarily need to have a physical feeling that comes from wearing amazing clothes,” says Michaela Larosse, spokeswoman for Dutch startup THE FABRICKENT.
The Fabricant started creating digital clothing in 2018 with around 20 fashion and graphic designers. But the company’s revenue has skyrocketed with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Larousse.
For example, the “Balenciaga” house infiltrated the world of the famous video game “fortnite” (fortnite) by offering clothes and sports shoes to its more than 250 million players.
However, Jean-Paul Gaultier, a pioneer in many aspects of fashion, tells AFP that this new field does not appeal to him.
“I’m from another time, and I’m very happy with my tactile adventure with real fashion,” he explains.
“I don’t watch video games, so it was not possible for me to design such costumes,” he added.
However, art historian Mirren Arzaluz, director of the Galliera fashion museum in Paris, finds this new trend “astonishing”.
Great opportunity
“The digital world offers a wonderful opportunity to visualize fashion and enjoy a different experience,” Arzalluz told AFP.
Dress X, an app launched a year ago in San Francisco, makes hundreds of dresses, jewelry and digital art available for less than $10 a month, a price comparable to the cost of subscriptions to notable services such as Netflix or Spotify. (spotify).
Natalia Modinova, one of the founders of the application, points out that there are problems that need to be solved, especially in terms of accounting, but stresses that this approach has a promising future.
And her partner in founding the application, Daria Shapavalova, explains: As happened in the beginnings of the Internet, some brands were reluctant to offer their products for sale electronically, but the more you improve your site, the better things go.
