Say bye to linen and leather, and welcome digital clothing and the metaverse
The latest feature of the metaverse is here: brace yourself for digital clothing. Cyber outfits are completely sustainable – not least because they don’t have any physical presence in the real world. Digital clothing is at the forefront of innovation, and at the crossroads of the digital and the real world. Surely Mark Zuckerberg already has a digital wardrobe – or, as some like to call it, a “metacloset” – full of pixelated shirts and jeans.
As tempting as it is to shake the whole concept off as the latest volatile product of the fashion industry, it’s worth taking a closer look. Companies and designers are investing in this space, and so apparently are universities – Ravensbourne has launched its Digital technology for Fashion pathway precisely to develop the next generation of digital designers.
On the surface, the experience is fairly similar to online shopping. You choose the item you want from an online store and you buy it. But then, you send a picture of yourself and in a day or two the picture comes back with the chosen garment superimposed on top of you. Most people share the final product on social media for their friends and followers to see.
US-based Dressx was one of the first companies to sniff the opportunity and jump into this imaginative market. Its founders Natalia Modenova and Daria Shapovalova started their careers in more traditional corners of the fashion world. From within, they spotted the main problem plaguing the industry: overproduction. Betting on the fact that digital innovation is increasingly moving society onto online spaces, they launched their avant-garde in August 2020, “before everyone understood” what they were doing.
Since then, interest in digital fashion has been growing. Now that they have a solid customer base in the US, Modenova and Shapovalova’s goal has shifted to bringing digital fashion to the four corners of the world. Through digital fashion “you can be anyone and try something that you wouldn’t necessarily wear in real life”, they say. The experience is designed to be a liberating one, helping individuals in the exploration of their image and self. Plus, some of DressX outfits are so extra it would be impossible to physically move around in them. Anything from bubbles to feathers and wings – you name it – is available for sale.
The fluidity and openness of this world, coupled with its inherently sustainable nature, make it appealing to younger generations. To spread its allure to a wider audience Dressx partnered with none less than Google. The tech giant’s association with the world of digital fashion hints that something’s up. Google is investing in a stronger presence in the metaverse, following what can be seen as a bid for monopoly by Mark Zuckerberg’s. When he turned Facebook into Meta, pledging to devote all the company’s efforts to speed up the metaverse, titans like Google probably held their breath for a little longer. Now they’re joining the race, and digital fashion is one of the many keys to the door.
To prove the point, Google inaugurated the campaign with Dressx through its newly launched phone Pixel 6. The mobile is branded as “the most personal phone ever invented”, and was used by different designers and influencers to create their digital collections. Pixel 6 has a machine learning device that recognizes and adapts to its owner’s voice and one of the most advanced mobile cameras available. In essence, it seems the perfect tool to access the soon-to-come metaverse. “Google searches for digital fashion reached the peak at the end of November”, says Shenaz Zack Mistry, product manager at Google, underlying how this trend is gathering momentum.
For model and writer Jack Guinness, who designed one of the pieces in the campaign, the future is here. “People already pay for in-app and in-game add-ons. In Fortnite, people purchase clothes for their avatar. So why not buy them for ourselves?”, he asks. He has a point. We’ll see whether the trend lasts – or whether ultimately, even Gen Z ends up being more concerned about an 18th birthday party outfit than their last digital dress.