Ever since gamers started to pay for “skins”, the apparel or the avatar they can play as in the highly successful battle-royale game Fortnite, one has to admit that something has profoundly changed in Internet usage. This event is highly significant for Web3 development because, even though it is not directly related to NFT or cryptos, it signals that people are willing to flex their avatars as an extension of their identity. In this case, in a videogame heralded to spearhead and become a precursor to the Metaverse.
If we consider avatars as an extension of people’s identity and fashion as a way to express that identity, it’s only natural that virtual fashion emerges. As a result of clothing styles being an identity marker, people might want to show or flex how they can afford to dress up their avatars. Showing status is one similarity between the traditional and virtual fashion. The latter, however, can address new needs as more social technology arises. And so, it is safe to say that virtual fashion is changing the creative landscape.
So, looking at the developments within the creative industry thanks to virtual fashion and the Metaverse is very important. Here are some of the changes inside the sector you should keep an eye on.
More experimentation
Virtual fashion is unbound (or at least less bound) by physical laws to produce new creations. That means artists usually don’t need to consider materials, how people can use the clothing, their practicality as it relates to weather, how it can feel on the skin, and a long list of other things that have to be kept in mind so that people wear a piece of clothing. Without these constraints, fashion aesthetics can take a radically new direction and take different forms from what we have seen until now.
Today, the fashion you can see on the street —the one that people buy and not the one on the runways— is a balancing act between the usefulness (comfort) and the status or identity aspects. But if comfort does not concern you in the Metaverse, why shouldn’t you explore what possibilities are allowed within this more subjective realm?
Kateřina Slunéčková, Czech painter
Potential sustainability
While Web3 and blockchain use a lot of energy, it has made strides to solve this issue. These ledgers have found better and more efficient ways to verify their transactions. And although this is not directly related to the creation of virtual fashion, it does bear some connection as they will be transacted and owned in the form of NFTs. And so, the blockchain will store records of the transacted NFT fashion. Today, Ethereum is using 99.98% less energy through its Proof-of-Stake protocol. But the fashion industry requires constant resources to produce more clothing, and the sector has to address this challenge with innovative solutions.
Virtual fashion allows designers to experiment and people to enjoy these avant-garde creations without using too many resources. Discarding materials is a common practice in the traditional fashion industry, which can be reduced drastically thanks to virtual fashion.
Personalization
Users can participate more actively in the fashion experience if the designer wants to allow that. For example, think that when you browse for a shirt, you can only buy the color a store has in stock. But with virtual fashion, it is technically possible for you to enter a specific hexadecimal code so that you can dress your avatar per your favorite color palette and whether you want matching colors or create a contrast. Of course, colors are just the beginning of a potentially endless list of customizable parameters to create apparel that is unique to you and your avatar.
Online-offline feedbacks
Just like virtual furniture was able to provide feedback into the offline world, virtual fashion can do the same. Think of the case of Andrés Resinger, an Argentinean designer based in Barcelona, Spain, who created a virtual armchair called Hortensia. It seemed impossible for this piece of furniture to exist in reality due to its flower texture. But it became such a hit on social media that people started to demand its sale in real life.
Such occurrences can happen as well with fashion. You could even say that it is more likely to occur because clothing is something you can take with you wherever you go. A piece of furniture stays in your house. So, virtual fashion is likely to have an impact on traditional clothing.
Digital Ownership
An important part of Web3 is that aside from reading and writing (or consuming and creating) content. And there is the curious question of what owning virtual fashion will look like. Do you need a wallet? Are there going to be Web3 wardrobes?
Digital ownership relates to the previous item of feedback with the offline world. Does owning a particular NFT clothing entail additional experiences? Many brands are looking to NFTs to enhance brand loyalty and brand experience. In fashion, this can be the case.
Virtual fashion is more than just dressing your avatar up. It can have a transformative effect on the creative industry as people look to present and modify themselves in the digital settings they inhabit. Not only that, the virtual creations we start to see as NFTs can impact the physical fashion industry. It is a promising development indeed.
Article brought to you by the SOPRG team, operating a gallery in Somnium Space metaverse. On behalf of the gallery – Milan & Gustavo.
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