BUYING clothing manufactured from low-impact materials like cotton and buying secondhand used to be considered sustainable shopping. Now, conscious fashion has found an unexpected ally in virtual form.
Enter the world of digital fashion. Virtual clothing, pioneered by Amsterdam-based design business The Fabricant, have found a home in the industry’s relentless appetite for novelty. Digital fashion houses, like CGI influencers and AR experiences, are trying to push the boundaries of design, creativity, and sustainability.
To date, the metaverse has witnessed runway looks for video game avatars, one-of-a-kind NFT ensembles, and a record-breaking sale of virtual sneakers for US$3.1 million (RM13.65 million). Sounds intriguing, right? Because it is.
If you want to dabble in the world of virtual clothing, here are eight digital fashion businesses to get you started, some of which are phygital (physical-meets-digital).
The Fabricant
When talking digital fashion houses, it’s difficult not to mention The Fabricant. The Fabricant, a digital-only couture pioneer, made headlines with the sale of a US$9,500 (RM41,842) ‘Iridescence’ dress designed in collaboration with artist Johanna Jaskowska.
The blockchain transaction was unusual, and it paved the path for virtual designs that are traceable, traceable, and collectible. Presently, the site includes things such as intricate digital headpieces and even celebrity collaborations (hello, Adidas x Karlie Kloss), so if you’re new to cybergarms, don’t worry, there’s something for everyone.
Auroboros
Auroboros is the tech fashion house to visit if you want to gain huge cyber influence. The London-based firm, whose fans include Kim Kardashian and stylist-DJ Sita Abellán, has carved out a niche for biomimicry-inspired haute couture garments that spread on the wearer. Auroboros’ creations, dubbed “nature tech,“ are inspired by flora, animals, and otherworldly beings.
The label’s website promises consumers sci-fi fantasy digital apparel made-to-measure with a photographer of their choice. Biomimicry bodysuits, neuro necklaces, and tendril skirts, all made with a utopian future in mind, are available for purchase.
Carlings
What if we told you that you would never have to buy another graphic T-shirt again? That’s the debate that Norwegian label Carlings ignited when they first unveiled a phygital clothing concept that would let shoppers to buy a single T-shirt and renew it endlessly with Instagram filters.
Carlings, a once exclusively physical clothing line, now offers a more inexpensive and daily choice for individuals seeking to dabble in the world of virtual threads in the face of an increasingly extravagant and innovative digital design landscape. Simply add their Last Statement T-Shirt to your shopping basket and then visit the brand’s Instagram page to browse through over a hundred different slogans.
Tribute
Tribute, the Croatia-based digital fashion collective revolutionising “contactless fashion,“ was inspired by early noughtie mainstays such as the Sims. Tribute has quickly taken over Instagram with its futuristic and extravagant works, fusing CGI 3D modelling, UX design, and coding.
While most people are already known with the brand’s cyberpunk take on evening clothing, it also offers puffy coats, flared pants, and full customisation. Looking for a futuristic masquerade ball? Sorted.
Replicant
Think about a digital fashion store. Recreate a one-stop shop for rapid fashion. Similar to multi-brand online boutiques, the virtual-only store allows visitors to browse an amazing inventory of pieces by a range of designers at a very inexpensive price point by cyber fashion standards.
Its most recent collaboration with the start-up IN3D raises the bar for customization to new heights. Customers will be able to construct their own 3D avatars by scanning their bodies and entering an augmented fitting room from the comfort of their own phones. Doing some window shopping? No more.
Rtfkt
Infiltrating a US$79 billion (RM348 billion) industry requires a unique project, yet virtual sneaker brand Rtfkt continues to set records. To date, the brand has sold over 600 pairs of virtual sneakers for a total of US$3.1 million (RM13.65 million). It also has celebrity patrons and partners such as Jay-Z and Elon Musk.
Sneakerheads can expect a wide range of one-of-a-kind kicks, viral designs, and exclusive collectibles in the form of both actual sneakers and their NFT counterparts. Other unusual products are Doge slippers and metajackets. But be prepared to spend a fair coin. Rtfkt owns some of the most costly and prized digital designs on the market, with some pieces priced at US$117,000 (RM5151,326).
Happy99
Happy99, an online footwear label that began as merely, well, non-existent, bridges the gap between covetable digital designs and their collector-worthy physical forms. Happy99’s invitation to its followers, armed with the intention of altering mindless commercial culture, was simply to enjoy the beauty of a product, shoppable or not.
Following the brand’s spectacular popularity and fan requests for real products, Happy99 has offered mini-drops of beanies, knit vests, and socks, which its designers characterise as a way of developing an identity. This narrative-like approach to consumerism is groundbreaking in its own right, with the ultimate goal of creating a seamless combination of real, digital, and purely decorative drops.
Republiqe
Republiqe, the world’s first digital-only fashion brand, was created in Singapore and is led by fashion designer and Vogue Innovation Prize nominee James Gaubert. Gaubert’s goal was to establish a creative equivalent to physical clothes that would also help to reduce waste and ethical issues in the fashion business.
Republiqe is already a well-known brand in the internet fashion industry. Denise Keller and Nadia Rahmat have both been dressed by the brand, which offers a variety of unique and festival-appropriate attire ranging from puffball gowns to thigh-high boots. All a shopper has to do is select a product, upload a photo, and presto, a dot com look personalised to perfection.
