The next battleground in fashion week is digital
ㆍFactors such as 3D design, digital prototypes, virtual showrooms, and digital models are helping fashion enter the digital world.
ㆍSingapore-based startup ‘Republiqe’ enters NFT market with digital clothing
ㆍDigital fashion involves more than just creating unique clothes for avatars; it is also less harmful to the environment.
Customizing your avatar is a way to express your individuality
Clothes are a tangible element of our lives, but in the age of the metaverse, we also need to consider clothing that cannot be physically touched. This is the idea behind digital fashion. Republiqe, a digital fashion startup based in Singapore, explains that digital clothing allows consumers to envision themselves as “real-life avatars,” enabling them to “look good without leaving home.” Ultimately, consumers may even be able to style both their digital avatars and their real-life selves in a similar way.
One other thing is ‘NFTs’
As fashion becomes more accessible in the virtual space, a new trend has emerged: turning clothes into NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Republiqe designs, creates, and auctions sets of NFTs for digital clothing. The process is quite similar to buying traditional digital fashion items, making it familiar to many. To purchase digital clothing, you follow a straightforward process. First, you create a shopping list and upload an image of yourself. Republiqe’s digital tailors then virtually design clothes based on your image, ensuring they fit any body shape or size. Once the digital tailoring team has finished, they will send you your image featuring the newly created digital garment or outfit. Prepare to showcase it to your friends on social media! This is the kind of thing that will inspire you to start bidding on NFTs again.
If we could transform into virtual humans…
“Clothes without substance” can become your everyday look. When I put on my HMD (head-mounted display) and meet friends in the virtual world, or go to work in the metaverse, I won’t need to worry about what I’m wearing in the real world. This digital reality is approaching quickly. Digital fashion is bolder and evolves faster than fashion in the real world. You don’t need to cut fabric, send it to a factory, or print it; you can simply create a 3D rendering, and it’s ready in an instant. This is true fast fashion. Paradoxically, it’s also the most ethical form of fashion. Republiqe argues that every fashion brand with a physical store should also provide a virtual clothing service for the metaverse. James Gaubert, a designer and stylist who has collaborated with prestigious brands like Chanel, Burberry, Bulgari, and Louis Vuitton, founded his startup out of concern over the vast amounts of clothing being discarded. He believes, “Instead of spending money on clothes you only wear once, why not invest in digital versions that cost less? They have a significantly lower impact on the environment.”
