Metaverse is a new opportunity for the broader fashion industry, as Gen Z and other tech-savvy young consumers spend more time online and exploring the possibilities. A metaverse avatar can wear any garment without any constraints of type, design, fabric, and use.
A survey done by McKinsey shows that Gen Z spent an average of 8 hours per day on screen in 2022. These creative digital spaces are the natural evaluations of how people use technology. One of the most important things that Gen Z looks toward is personal expression.
Dress X
Metaverse avatars and applications on real photos in digital fashion have started to boom. Digital garment producer Dress X is the most exciting example of a business integrity NFT technology with fashion. Dress X claims that digital clothing production emits 97% less CO2 per garment while leaving a massive environmental footprint.
For the past decade, virtual fashion has been growing big brands have started to use in-game marketing to reach consumers.
Gucci X Roblox
When Gucci chief marketing officer Robert Triefus was interviewed by McKinsey, he said that “There are more and more ‘second worlds’ where you can express yourself, But there is probably an underestimation of the value being attached to individuals who want to express themselves in a virtual world with a virtual product, through a virtual persona.”
Gucci partnered up with a metaverse and gaming platform Roblox and created Gucci Garden where users were invited to indulge in greenery through Gucci’s virtual gardens and digital goods comparable to avatar accessories, the latter of which proved more lucrative than products in the real world.
This gave everyone on Roblox the virtual two-week art installation, this was unveiled on 17th May on Roblox while offering multiple themed rooms. Visitors were able to enter through a virtual lobby and then their avatars ( as entered they were transformed into genderless humenoid-like mannequins ) were able to view, try and purchase digital Gucci items.
As a result, Gucci Garden in the Roblox gaming metaverse saw 19 million visitors to it.
Ralph Lauren X Zepeto
Ralph Lauren partnered with the South Korean social network app Zepeto to create a virtual fashion collection where users could dress their avatars in exclusive products or appearance-altering “skins.” The brand moves into selling digital apparel inside of the metaverse targeting the new generation of avatars. This is Ralph Lauren’s first time selling digital products including 12 looks with 50 unique items from vintage styles to the brand’s summer collection.
A live virtual concert featuring the K-pop ban Tomorrow x Together. During the show, the band, known as TXT, will showcase its avatars wearing Ralph Lauren’s 3D collection while taking virtual selfies with fans that can be shared on social media.
Ralph Lauren and Zepeto have also recreated virtual versions of iconic real-life locations from New York City and their latest was published six months ago which was the first Polo Ralph Lauren exclusive collection ‘The Winer Escape’.
Social media filters on platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat have been a great help in the digital fashion industry when it came to smaller upcoming brands. AI and augmented reality has opened up many opportunities for new business models that leverage virtual fashion.
Technology that allows for 360-degree views is already been used to present seasonal collections through online showrooms, and avatars of models have walked 3-D virtual runways and have been very popular during the pandemic.
Below is a video created by BOF explaining how metaverse has been used in luxury brands to reach new customers.
Balenciaga X Fortnite
Spanish luxury fashion house Balenciaga and online video game Fortnite have teamed up to entrance citizens of London, New York, Tokyo, and Seoul by creating a spectacular real-world immersive 3D billboard experience. This caught everyone’s attention from every generation and was known to be a Digital-to-Physical Partnership between the two brands. Afterworld, the video game designed to present Balenciaga’s fall 2021 collection, was made using Epic’s Unreal Engine. The Balenciaga and Fortnite world bleeds from virtual to physical and in the game, players can not only choose new Balenciaga outfits and accessories, but they can also enter a Balenciaga store and do a custom Balenciaga dance.
“Fortnite and Roblox feel like the Metaverse because they embody so many technologies and trends in a single experience that, like the iPhone, is tangible and feels different from everything that came before. But they do not constitute the Metaverse.” – Matthew Ball, venture capitalist –
Fashion Trends 2022
Digital fashion has started to grow and no one predicts how fast it will evolve and what the new opportunities will give luxury brands, retailers, and consumers themselves. Digital fashion assets can generate significant revenue streams as there is no shortage of marketing hype.
In 2022, virtual fashion has been expanding as small brands joined the virtual fashion market and scaled up their production for the Gen Z audience. Let’s join the latest trend in fashion – Metaverse.
Woah this is so interesting. Interesting how much of an impact Metaverse has on fashion !!
Thank you ❤️