An intro to digital fashion
Digital fashion has ‘existed’ for at least a couple of years, but it’s not until recently that it has fully taken off in terms of the monetisation of it and the further development of it into the mainstream. One of the main contributors to digital fashion is ‘The Fabricant’ and to quote their website… “We waste nothing but data and exploit nothing but our imagination. Operating at the intersection of fashion and technology fabricating digital couture and fashion experiences.” (The Fabricant, 2021) The Fabricant sold their first virtual garment in 2019 for $9500, this was the first digitally block-chained dress called “Iridescence” ever to be sold. But how does virtual fashion work, and why will it be the next big wave within not just the fashion industry but the technological industry as well. Digital fashion, once understood, is a brilliant concept that has less limits and more sustainable aspects than the current fashion practices we see today. If you wanted to buy a digital piece of clothing, you’d go somewhere like ‘The Fabricant’ or ‘DressX’ and purchase a digital piece you like, and you would own the item as a digital piece in itself. After the purchase, you would take a video or photo of yourself and send it off to the producer of the garment, and they edit the garment on to you. This has been utilised by footwear companies a lot and some of the best images I’ve seen from digital fashion houses have been footwear based. Such as these images from the ‘Buffalo London’ collaboration with ‘The Fabricant’…
Figure 1: Collaboration between Buffalo and The Fabricant (Buffalo London x The Fabricant, 2021)
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