Digital Fashion on the Rise
It’s no secret that our appetite for fast fashion is having deleterious effects on our planet and our sense of identity. Fashion has never been so affordable, and it’s seriously costing us. The fashion industry has been quoted by some as contributing more to climate change through yearly emissions than air and sea travel combined. Digital fashion has previously been suggested as a possible solution to ending the industry’s role as one of the world’s world’s greatest polluters.
Conversations about sustainability and how to fight the fast fashion cycle are picking up momentum. Still, we have a long way to go. Solutions such as consuming less and recycling more are obvious – but what about encouraging a zero impact strategy? This is the arena of Digital Fashion.
Digital fashion involves customers paying for clothes which only exist in the virtual space. A team of designers will then ‘fit’ the clothing onto the customer’s frame in a photograph, providing very realistic results. See an example here.
Influencers and every day Instagrammers alike are known to buy one-off outfits, just for the platform. Scandinavian fashion firm Carlings launched its first digital collection in 2018. The collection featured of-the-moment trends such as croc-skin, latex and tech-inspired slogans. Other brands have followed.
With advancements in technology, digital clothing will be able to take on dimensions and form that would be next to impossible in reality without stellar craftsmanship. So while digital clothing price points are far cheaper than physical garments, there’s also the potential for these virtual collections to start selling for just as much as traditional designer clothing.
2018 saw the world’s first piece of ‘digital couture’ sold at a charity auction. Designed by Amber Jae Slooten of The Fabricant, the iridescent one-piece was sold for £7,500.
Local luxury shoe brand Arthur Lam is offering tailor made shoes of all persuasions, that can be constructed by the customer entirely online.
It’s only a matter of time before others, including well-known brands begin to release digital collections. As with the rise in sales of just about any product, concept or lifestyle today, the key in increasing the appeal of digital fashion will likely lie with the influencer.
Of course, the concept of digital fashion mightn’t be quite so tantalising to those who don’t place a lot of emphasis on their online presence. We can only hope that this new technology plays some part in countering the damage caused by the fashion landscape today.
Interested in how you can play your part against fast fashion? Check out our tips here.
Featured Image: Ben Scott, Unsplash
