Hannah Soper Fashion Forecast AD5605
‘Digital Reality’
CONTENTS
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Target Consumer
4. Going Digital
5. The Future
6. Wearable Technology
7. Virtual Reality
8. The Avatar
9. Sustainability
10. 2030
11. Consumer Profile
12. Colour
13. Conclusion
14. References
1.
This Trend Forecasting package will cover what I predict the upcoming trends in 2030 will be in the industry. Specifically, focusing on the emergence of Technology throughout the years and how its changing the fashion cycle. Visual Representations is a range plan for the chosen target consumer, introducing a new theme and assortment of fabrics, colours, and silhouettes. Followed by a marketing plan with a strong focus on the trend: The Impact of technology on fashion.
INTRODUCTION
2.
From my research it is clear to me that there is no direct pathway for the fashion industry to grow in 2030. With the events following on from this year it is clear to see the growth and expenditure of innovation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular technology, and how this has helped industries survive such adversity. It is apparent that the digital world is taking over present times, specifically looking into the fashion industry. Digital shows and labels are more widespread than runways and clothing stores. Some examples of these growing labels are Paskal and Sxema, brands that have found their niche and explored the digital scene. Seemingly, traditional factors still play an important role as without experimentation innovation wouldn’t exist. “Experimentation is a crucial part of innovation, and some would argue that there’s no innovation without experimentation”. (Saarelainen, 2021). Because these new ideas come from past ideas without them new technologies just simply would not exist.
Whilst conducting my research it was visible to me that there was not one direct pathway for the future of fashion. With many consumers approaching a more sustainable route of fashion looking into biodegradable materials, compared to the other aspect of a more innovated approach with technology growing consumers looking for a more hyper futuristic approach.
The name ‘Digital Reality’ represents the constant change and progress of the digital world. Which is what I have based my trend off; the growth of technology within the fashion industry. Digital Reality is set in 2030, an era of time which will chase uncertainty due to the events of Covid-19. Forward thinking has been something that became the new normal in 2020 in order to survive so further taking that into consideration for 2030 utilising a new reality by using new materials and innovative ideas.
The Covid-19 pandemic in turn is what has stopped the fashion industry, with technology being the only drive in pushing it forward. It is something that has strongly needed to be developed for quite some time so in that sense the pandemic has helped bring the advancement of technology to shift the fashion industry forwards. With the overpricing of garments, to the overproduction of‌. The Digital consumption has brought the fashion industry to life, making garments accessible in such unpresented circumstances.
The technological trend focuses on the reliance of the digital world nowadays and how it has spun the industry to further success particularly for those apart of Generation Z. From being brought up in a world of the Nintendo DS from such a young age to the expenditure of the I Phone in the early teen years technology is the world in which we are brought up in it has shown the knock on effect technology has had upon the generation Z of today where we are able to adapt to digital circumstances.
3.
TARGET CONSUMER
The youth of today in particular are the generation of new beginnings, therefore I have chosen to focus my trend upon the Alpha generation. “With all the changes brought on by technology, one thing remains the same throughout all the generations: it’s a push forward, for better opportunities and experiences” (CustomerThink, 2021) These generations are born into an adaptation of technology not knowing any different. “While their parents were introduced to technology in their late youth or early adulthood, only 2% of Gen Alpha has no personal touch with any kind of technology. This has led to some positive outcomes”. (CustomerThink, 2021). Unlike their parents who struggle to let go of their traditions, the Alpha generation will be able to adapt to a more digital focused world
In particular, one thing that has come to life over the past decade is the online world of YouTube; somewhat creating an online community for people to interact. The heightening of YouTube provides a space for people to interrelate with their favourite content creators. Not only does it bring forth this but is an enormous site where the Alpha Generation gain most of their knowledge from today. YouTube would simply not be where it’s at today if it wasn’t for the advancement and heightening of technology. This also applies not only to the Alpha group but to the Generation Z of today. It is very rare that Gen Z of today isn’t walking around with the latest I phone or gadget in their hands, providing them with the capacity to find out the latest news of the touch of a button.
4
4.
GOING DIGITAL
IS 2030 HEADIG TOWARDS DIGITAL REALITY?
Furthermore, another digital development within the industry was the Bitmoji. This new outfit can be bought but not touched, the digital clothing concept evolved in 2016 when the Bitmoji allowed their users to dress their avatars from fashion brands. With Scandinavian fashion brand carlings following suit in 2018 releasing their very own digital fashion brand.
Almost overnight, the reliance of digital technology has accelerated faster than anyone could have predicted. Which in time will cause trouble for department retail stores. The answer to this seems clear- a new digitalised pathway for the future of fashion. The industry has adapted new solutions in the events of the Covid-19 pandemic by enhancing their digital capabilities. “Nike — whose digital sales in the region grew 36 percent in the third quarter ended February 29 leveraged Taobao livestream bloggers during lockdown in China, while local fashion group Peacebird grew retail sales as a result of innovative customer engagement on their WeChat channel, which featured over 100 live broadcasting sessions with influencers and drew over one million consumers’ along with social media platforms which have also massively helped grow the industry. ‘WeChat saw a 159 percent boost in transaction volume for fashion brand mini-programmes’ without social media the growth in digital expansion would simply not have occurred. (Wechat, 2020)
5.
THE FUTURE
IS THE FUTURE OF FASHION DIGITAL FROM NOW ON?
So what is in store for the future of fashion you say? To begin with New technologies are something that are constantly adapting and are specifically useful in the fashion world. Virtual Fashion is something which falls amongst this and explores a whole new pathway for fashion. With digital design becoming the perfect tool to prevail clothing without limitations of the Covid-19 pandemic, mass-production and consumption
The new normal of 2020 has forced the fashion industry to revaluate how the clothes are made and to move some production processes to the 3D realm to help the environment. It is clear this year that the digital fashion industry can change its reputation of being one of the world’s biggest polluters to becoming the most ecological, fashionable, and forward-thinking industry. Virtual materials are a way of introducing a new reality for consumers.
Virtual fashion design has been growing its presence in the fashion industry quietly over the past few years among huge companies and independent designers. Recently it has started to grow exponentially due to its ability to allow designers to continue development remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic; but some designers have been using it long before it was a necessity because of its incredible benefits regarding sustainability.
In virtual fashion design software, designers have the opportunity to create a pattern, sew, apply any functional or decorative details and change the fabric of an item. Once a designer has built their garment in 3D, they are able to try it in different sizes, have their 3D avatar walk to see how the garment moves and render extremely high-quality images.
Brands of all sizes and markets are using virtual fashion design software. A few early adapters of are Emilio Pucci, Moschino, and Helmut Lang. As a brand who uses lots of prints and intricate details, Pucci has praised this new process for allowing them to reduce samples by being able to make decisions and see changes in real time in 3D. They have reported cutting down 30% of their time and costs due to developing designs virtually.(Luxiders,2020)
The sustainable benefits are visible in this process long before a garment ever reaches the consumer. During the development phase of typical garment production, large brands easily make hundreds of samples per collection. By the time a garment has been fit and fully developed, most of these samples are incorrect and unusable so are therefore discarded. It’s difficult to even imagine the number of samples that become waste in just one year. Large brands release around 15 collections per year on average. Think about every single brand that you know and how many items they have in each collection. Multiply that by 15 collections a year. And then multiply that by 5: a conservative average of how many samples a brand gets per single style. There is a huge opportunity to reduce this number.
6.
Wearable Technology
Personally, when I think about wearable technology today, the first thing to come to mind is still clunky wrist-worn devices – smart watches and fitness trackers and the one brand that comes to mind is Apple. No matter how hard innovators try, they haven’t yet truly nailed looking like something we all want to wear every day. What exactly does “fashion tech” mean? It is a term that rarely means anything close to what we actually put on each morning and rather still relates to things like dresses that light-up – beautiful Cinderella gowns that enhance the wearer on their journey along the red carpet for instance One brand that has jumped on the band wagon is Levis. Their collaboration with Google Project Jacquered came to life creating a piece of wearable technology designed for urban cyclists. Conductive yarn is weaved into the left cuff enabling touch interactivity so users can tap, swipe or hold to fulfill simple tasks like changing music tracks, blocking or answering calls or accessing navigation information VFiles x XO are also another collaboration exploring the fashion tech world. Although light up clothing may not be to everyone’s taste. The creative director and co-founder, Nancy Tilbury of XO, makes a really good argument for it being entirely suited to a very specific shopper. Streetwear consumers of today, in particular those of generation Z are arguably into some extravagant pieces therefore items such as this are right up their street. The collaboration produced a cap and rucksack will retail later this year, enabling the wearer to change the surface colours and patterns in response to music via an accompanying app. With such advancements being made already, in 2030 the experience of wearable technology will be significantly enhanced
VIRTUAL REALITY
7.
One thing that’s for sure is fashion shows will most likely never be the same after the Covid-19 pandemic. The physical presence will be no more. This is where I see virtual reality fitting into the new normal. First off lets explain what virtual reality is? In simple terms, Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with virtual objects simulating the physical world. The users perceive this virtual surrounding by means of VR headset or helmet devices.I n the past decade, innovation in fashion, particularly in the luxury industry, has seen dramatic growth. For two main reasons: the first being consumers growing appetite for better experiences and the second being the environmental urgency leading to sustainability-related innovations “The luxury industry used to grow 8 per cent, but now it is growing 2 to 5 per cent. And I think it’s going to stay there,” said Olivier Abtan, a partner at the Boston Consulting Group. (Mckinsey, 2020) One brand that has already adapted to this new way of exploring fashion is Dior. The DIOR try on is allowing you to try on sunglasses from the comfort of their own smartphones, which is something Generation Z are adapting. Although VR is at its early stages, picturing the future of VR in fashion is not that difficult. By 2030 Virtual reality and augmented reality could certainly become a powerful channel for brand-consumer interactions. Just like the role of MOBILE and SOCIAL in our lives today. “According to Goldman Sachs’ study, IDC predicted that VR/AR market will reach $182 billion in revenue by 2025, bypassing television’. With this being in the next 5 years alone, by 2030 these figures could have doubled in revenue. (Startbeyond, 2020)
8.
THE AVATAR
We make the virtual real, and the real virtual, which results in a weird mix that takes the viewer on an uncanny journey through undiscovered landscapes, making them feel like they vaguely recognise elements used. Remnants of the fashion industry float through the scenes, emphasising the fact that only about 200 people see a fashion show live front row, but the rest of the world watches the show in 2D images online. What is the difference between seeing a rendered 3D image of a garment or a 2D photograph of a garment? Multiple people watching the experience wanted to actually buy or have the clothing in real life. This proves our point.
Could Fashion Robots Be The New Norm For 2030?
SH UDU
So who exactly is Shuddu you may wonder? Shuddu is a digital model first noticed on the Instagram scene. The attention of Shuddu came to life when Rhianna’s beauty brand Fenty reposted an image of her wearing the brand’s lipstick. The image exceeded the average amount of Instagram likes and engagement almost four-fold with some 222,000 likes compared to an average of around 50,000. At the time, it hadn't been disclosed whether or not Shuddu was a real person; her Instagram bio simply repeated the comment left under her photos with may asking who she is. Following on from this after the campaign it was later brought to life that Shuddu was in fact not a real person, and simply a piece of art. Cameron stated in an article for The New Yorker “I wanted something that was coming from, like, a place of pure creativity for me”. (James-Wilson, 2021) He simply used his ideas to create a digital model using 3-D soft wear. This is where the technology side comes into it and all comes down to its advancements. To answer my question whether this is what the future is heading towards? I firmly believe that by 2030 a lot more digital models will be discovered and it will simply be the new way of displaying brands collections.
THE DIIGITALS
SHUDDU
KOFFI DAGNY BRENN
ASPEN
U F E H T I E R U T T I G I D S E H T L A
T O B O R O R B O T R B O T R O T O R B
O
SUSTAINABILITY
9.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR FASHION?
Although I have leaned towards a more innovative approach I do believe as stated earlier that without traditionalism innovation just simply wouldn’t be what it is today. Yes, I believe the future is digital but that is where the sustainability aspect comes into it. Consumers are not just after the latest gadgets they are also invested in how these items are made and the eco-friendliness of them. To me technology is the language of sustainable fashion. Delving further into it, “80% of the garments climate impact happens before even hitting the store�. ( Ted Talk,2020) By having garments made to be virtual this not only is preventing climate distribution but also stops the over-consumption of products and material waste. Not only does this tie in with the over consumption of products but also with Covid-19. Due to the pandemic consumers have been unable to physically visit stores to try on items due to the closures. Therefore, being able to try on clothes virtually from your device is a lot more accessible. To me this is where the future of fashion is heading. Looking towards the physical materials and what their advancements mean for sustainable fashion, many brands, like Christy Dawn and Whimsy + Row, have been using deadstock to make their clothes. Brands like Thread International are using recycled water bottles in their designs for companies like Reebok. Now looking forward, other companies like Pinatex are creating entirely new materials like vegan leather made from pineapples to help cut down on harmful products. As brands continue to push the limits of what clothes can made from, we can see how this will greatly impact sustainability as we know it.
10.
20 30
I predict by 2030 digital clothing will be a popular way of trying clothes on before even purchasing the items. If clothing is able to be viewed online and tried on via technology it means not only saving time but less waste too.
As we have seen over the past year it is almost impossible to predict outcomes that are simply unknown. One thing that is for sure is that technology will still be evolving. The 2030 collection is driven by the modifications of technology. The first major practical problem is that clothes have to be cleaned, a time-consuming and sometimes expensive process. To remedy this problem, imagine a futuristic closet with cleaning and dry-cleaning functions (the materials of the clothes themselves could evolve to make this easier and less dangerous). A wardrobe system that cleans itself would be a big plus for many people. While I don’t see this technological advance as imminent, neither do I see it as unreachable. A second major problem with clothes is that they have to be stored. Urban space is currently quite scarce and expensive, a reality unlikely to change anytime soon. Easily foldable and contractible clothes and shoes will therefore be at a premium but, of course, the question is how to get them back into proper shape with minimum effort. That again suggests a home device—far more efficient than the iron—to get clothes into proper shape, which in turn will allow for more clothes to be rolled up and put away. Cleaning and storing your clothes are closely related problems, and in my optimistic vision, they will be solved together.
Further improvement will come to pockets. I don’t own one of the larger iPhones simply because it doesn’t fit comfortably into my shirt pockets. Pockets may become expandable and more flexible, and women’s clothes may develop a greater array of invisible pockets, or other methods for carrying around wallets, car keys and other devices. As it now stands, too often women feel they face a choice between looking elegant or having convenient pockets. That can and will change, and that is likely to benefit men too.
11.
CONSUMER PROFILE
Set in 2030 Seb is a 20 year old male obsessed with fashion. Particularly the streetwear scene, with his love for Supreme stemming from his several trips to New York he has a keen interest in the industry. Tech Savvy Seb not online has demand for streetwear but also the latest gadgets. As a Gen Z individual, Seb has grown up in a world of ever growing digital technologies. In particular, Seb is looking for products that he can wear but also keep in contact with the outside world whilst going about his daily routine. We have seen the development of the Apple Watch over the years and by 2030 I predict that wearable technology will be the new way of living.
Colour
12.
The Colour scheme of this trend focuses on the metallic tones. With undertones of brighter more vibrant colours to eject brightness and luminosity. Albeit such an uncertain world at the minute the tones bring that bit of vivacity reflecting upon the digital aspect and bringing animation of virtual reality to life.
The metallic tones evoke a sense of armour; a form of protection for the consumer something which I believe will still be relevant in 2030 representing the facemask of today.
13.
CONCL
LUSION
To conclude, innovation will be at the for forefront of fashion in 2030. The main feature of Digital Reality is the development of technology; with virtual reality, wearable technology, and avatars being brought to life. From my research it is apparent that the industry must move forward and I believe that these three aspects will ameliorate over the next decade. Digital Reality epitomizes just how technology can re-build and recover fashion. After a period of destruction due to the pandemic- things need to change. The pandemic has not only accelerated the adoption of technology to offer new ways to design but has reflected upon the need for change. It is evident that technology is the way forward. In a world of Gen-Z consumers being brought up in mechanization we consume content through a multitude of technological devices and need fashion to adapt in new ways that fit into our lifestyles. As 2030 is quickly approaching, fashion is constantly adapting with the latest technological advancements. The main emphasis is that we are simply living; a digital reality.
14.
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