There has been a groundbreaking development in the fashion industry in recent years, virtual fashion. Sure, virtual fashion is not a new concept, but we can say that its popularity has increased with the pandemic. So, what is virtual fashion mainly? Simply put, virtual fashion is the development and selling of fashion pieces for virtual platforms.
There is an environmental side of this subject; sustainable fashion. Since it addresses the challenges of mass manufacturing and waste creation, this breakthrough has the potential to be very innovative for the fashion industry. There is a part of the digital world that liberates us, and it brings many beauty and convenience to our lives. Perks of the digital environment also apply to the fashion industry, such as the difference between digital and traditional runways. Countless new freedoms come with the emergence of digital runways without topographical boundaries, timing conflicts, or seating restrictions, etc. Another beauty brought by virtual fashion is that brands can produce according to the consumer’s demand. That is, they will produce according to the incoming order and avoid waste.
Adaptation to Pandemic
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the fashion industry was economically damaged like many other industries. Simultaneously, the fashion industry has begun to adapt to the terms of Covid-19 and reorganized its commercial and creative strategies to this extent. People in the fashion industry have been coming up with innovative new ways to use technology with the Covid-19 pandemic causing activities to be delayed or canceled. Digital Fashion weeks and virtual shows were the new alternative formats for the new normal. Moschino, Balenciaga, Hanifa, and Maison Margiela are just a few of the brands that made virtual fashion shows during this time.
The Fabricant, an Amsterdam-based fashion house, auctioned off its first digital couture dress in New York in 2019. It was sold for $9,500 through the Ethereum blockchain in the United States.
Production – The Fabricant x DapperLabs @dapper_labs
The Fabricant is the world’s first digital fashion house, making innovative and compelling 3D garments and fashion narratives entirely non-physical. The Fabricant’s slogan also quite simply expresses the brand: uploading humans to the next level of existence. The brand describes its purpose as: “Among our founding principles is the belief that fashion should waste nothing but data and exploit nothing but the imagination.” The creative director of The Fabricant, Amber Jae Slooten, adds “With the technology that is coming we will be able to radically change the way we see self-expression and stop harming the planet with our needs to look interesting,”
This Outfit Does Not Exist
This Outfit Does Not Exist is a newsletter about Virtual Fashion and its possibilities. The newsletter will dive into the industry’s developments, the start-ups that shape them, and their capacity to disrupt the wider world of physical goods. Each month explores a theme: from digital design & distribution, to marketing in the Metaverse. It also showcases the most brilliant feats of digital design via Instagram. This Outfit Does Not Exist, writes about important and current issues about Virtual Fashion such as: “What is Virtual Fashion? How do you wear Virtual Fashion? Why would a human wear Virtual Fashion? Why would brands make Virtual Fashion?”
One of the writings answers the question “Why Do We Need Virtual Fashion?“
The Fashion industry generates 10% of the world’s CO2 emissions more than the airline and shipping industries combined. This is because of a business model that encourages conspicuous consumption, coupled with a complex and unsustainable production process that necessities destruction to ensure desirability. Luxury fashion is a major culprit. In part due to its lack of ability to be demand with no signals of whether the clothes will be consumed, aside from retail guesswork and press critique. Instead of responding to customer wants, brands work frantically to stimulate demand as soon as the clothes come off the catwalk. They rarely get it right. As a result, over 13 million tonnes of textiles end up burnt or in landfills each year. Virtual Fashion can help. ” – @thisoutfitdoesnotexist
Our interview series’ first guest is Kenichi Kuromaru. We love hearing their stories because there is no definitive, single way to be a successful designer.
Audrey Large is a French designer currently based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. She explains her work as: “I’m interested in playing with digital aesthetics in a materialized object.”
The purpose of editorial design is to make publications interesting and to convey content accurately and legibly. While creating editorial designs, Chloe Scheffe successfully blends typography, graphics, and visual layout, resulting in incredible designs.
Beautifully Dressed in Data with Virtual Fashion: This Outfit Does Not Exist
There has been a groundbreaking development in the fashion industry in recent years, virtual fashion. Sure, virtual fashion is not a new concept, but we can say that its popularity has increased with the pandemic. So, what is virtual fashion mainly? Simply put, virtual fashion is the development and selling of fashion pieces for virtual platforms.
There is an environmental side of this subject; sustainable fashion. Since it addresses the challenges of mass manufacturing and waste creation, this breakthrough has the potential to be very innovative for the fashion industry. There is a part of the digital world that liberates us, and it brings many beauty and convenience to our lives. Perks of the digital environment also apply to the fashion industry, such as the difference between digital and traditional runways. Countless new freedoms come with the emergence of digital runways without topographical boundaries, timing conflicts, or seating restrictions, etc. Another beauty brought by virtual fashion is that brands can produce according to the consumer’s demand. That is, they will produce according to the incoming order and avoid waste.
Adaptation to Pandemic
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the fashion industry was economically damaged like many other industries. Simultaneously, the fashion industry has begun to adapt to the terms of Covid-19 and reorganized its commercial and creative strategies to this extent. People in the fashion industry have been coming up with innovative new ways to use technology with the Covid-19 pandemic causing activities to be delayed or canceled. Digital Fashion weeks and virtual shows were the new alternative formats for the new normal. Moschino, Balenciaga, Hanifa, and Maison Margiela are just a few of the brands that made virtual fashion shows during this time.
Check out the Hanifa 3D Digital Fashion Show
Pioneers of Virtual Fashion
A few brands leading the development of virtual fashion are as follows: Carlings, The Fabricant, Replicant Fashion, Tribute Brand, Hanifa and, Dress-X.
The Fabricant, an Amsterdam-based fashion house, auctioned off its first digital couture dress in New York in 2019. It was sold for $9,500 through the Ethereum blockchain in the United States.
“The sale of the Fabricant-designed “Iridescence” dress represents a landmark moment in digital-only couture. As a first-of-its-kind blockchain transaction, the unique garment is a traceable, tradeable, and collectible piece of digital art.”
Credits
Model – Johanna Jaskowska @johwska
Photographer – Julien Boudet @bleumode
Digital Fashion Design – Amber Jae Slooten @amberjaeslooten
Production – The Fabricant x DapperLabs @dapper_labs
The Fabricant is the world’s first digital fashion house, making innovative and compelling 3D garments and fashion narratives entirely non-physical. The Fabricant’s slogan also quite simply expresses the brand: uploading humans to the next level of existence. The brand describes its purpose as: “Among our founding principles is the belief that fashion should waste nothing but data and exploit nothing but the imagination.” The creative director of The Fabricant, Amber Jae Slooten, adds “With the technology that is coming we will be able to radically change the way we see self-expression and stop harming the planet with our needs to look interesting,”
This Outfit Does Not Exist
This Outfit Does Not Exist is a newsletter about Virtual Fashion and its possibilities. The newsletter will dive into the industry’s developments, the start-ups that shape them, and their capacity to disrupt the wider world of physical goods. Each month explores a theme: from digital design & distribution, to marketing in the Metaverse. It also showcases the most brilliant feats of digital design via Instagram. This Outfit Does Not Exist, writes about important and current issues about Virtual Fashion such as: “What is Virtual Fashion? How do you wear Virtual Fashion? Why would a human wear Virtual Fashion? Why would brands make Virtual Fashion?”
One of the writings answers the question “Why Do We Need Virtual Fashion?“
“The Environment
The Fashion industry generates 10% of the world’s CO2 emissions more than the airline and shipping industries combined. This is because of a business model that encourages conspicuous consumption, coupled with a complex and unsustainable production process that necessities destruction to ensure desirability. Luxury fashion is a major culprit. In part due to its lack of ability to be demand with no signals of whether the clothes will be consumed, aside from retail guesswork and press critique. Instead of responding to customer wants, brands work frantically to stimulate demand as soon as the clothes come off the catwalk. They rarely get it right. As a result, over 13 million tonnes of textiles end up burnt or in landfills each year. Virtual Fashion can help. ” – @thisoutfitdoesnotexist
Credits
@sunwanw
@the_fab_ric_ant
@tribute_brand
@replicant.fashion
@harriet.blend
You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram.
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