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Did you know that you can now visit your favorite stores in the metaverse? And attend a show in person through a virtual world? As far away as it may seem, you are not dreaming. The metaverse is already in our day to day and, as it could not be otherwise, the big fashion brands have decided to join this project that will revolutionize the market.
After all, it’s no surprise. The metaverse has always made it clear that its main objective is to capture the moments of our daily lives : buy and sell objects, interact with other people, attend meetings and, of course, choose your clothes or create your own outfits.
Thus, many of the fashion firms have announced their intention to immerse themselves in the metaverse, becoming the second sector that has invested the most in it, only preceded by video games. Virtual stores, collections in NFTs, and even the celebration of a fashion week in this revolutionary space. Do you want to know further about the future of fashion? Keep reading and don’t get left behind!
First steps of the world of fashion in the metaverse
Since its inception, the fashion sector has shown itself to be a faithful ally of innovation. For this reason, it has always struggled to incorporate ways to renew the industry , proposing new materials , groundbreaking communication campaigns or revolutionary methods to trace the origin of your garments…
In this way, with the arrival of the digital reality in which we live, the world of fashion has seen a path of opportunities in which to turn. What’s more, we can already find several brands in the sector that have opted for the metaverse, allowing their garments to be consumed through virtual worlds and identities.
Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Gucci or the Spanish brand Balenciaga, are just a few examples of all the firms that have joined in selling their items in NFT format, projecting their fashion shows in these alternative realities or participating in the first fashion week in the metaverse. Are you also interested in advances in what seems to be the future of the sector? We tell you!
New clothing stores in the metaverse
As we have seen, there are already many brands that have begun to sell their designs in NFT format , thus creating the first collections of virtual garments —within the reach of all budgets— with which to dress your representation in the metaverse. In this way, the possibility of expression offered by fashion has also been transferred to virtual worlds, offering the opportunity to play with different combinations of clothing and accessories.
All this has projected a new business model known as D2A —direct-to-avatar—, in which we stop buying clothes for ourselves, to start doing it with our avatar. However, and although it may seem very revolutionary, the participation of fashion in alternative worlds is nothing new . To find the first investment in digital fashion we have to go back to 2007, with the presence of brands like Armani in Second Life. Thus, more and more firms were seen in video games, leaving us with great appearances such as Diesel in The Sims (2012) or Louis Vuitton in League of Legends (2019).
Immersive catwalks and MetaFashion Week
In addition, and due in part to the pandemic, the large luxury brands have begun to present their new collections through virtual fashion shows . In this way, the user has the option of attending the catwalks as if they were truly among the public. This is the case of Burberry or Balenciaga, which plunged into the virtual scene by launching its own video game.
Likewise, since March 2022 the metaverse already has its own fashion week, in the world of Decentraland . What was interesting about this experience was how easy it was to access it, since VR glasses were not required to attend the fashion shows or brand parties. Thanks to this, all fashion lovers were able to enjoy big names like Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana or Philippe Plein, just by accessing them from their web browser.
Lights and shadows for fashion in the metaverse
One of the most applicable contributions of the metaverse to the fashion sector is the opportunity it offers to show more responsibility. And how is this possible? Because producing, selling and consuming clothes in a virtual world is more sustainable than doing it in the real world. That’s right, the clothes of our avatars are more ecological than the ones we keep in our closet, as a result of which we get rid of waste and environmental damage derived from the manufacture, promotion, sale and use of a garment. The same goes for holographic fittings, which allow designers to visualize their creations on models without having to move. In this way, the carbon footprint is reduced and efficiency is significantly increased .
However, despite its benefits, the metaverse has not been without controversy. One of the big sticking points has been the difficulty of protecting copyright , with the emergence of items on the NFT market that are very similar to luxury items. The most outstanding case was that of Mason Rothschild and his ” MetaBirkins “, with great similarities with the classic model of the Hermès firm. This generated a conflict with the brand, which filed a complaint demanding intellectual property and trademark rights. Finally, Hermès won the legal process, receiving financial compensation from the American artist.
Today we do not know if the future of the sector is in the metaverse or if everything will remain as a project that did not bear fruit. However, its presence in the present is a reality, being able to see its first steps in a world of possibilities for companies in the sector and all fashion fans. All this represents progress for all of us, in which the large firms have become involved to reach a much closer and more accessible panorama.
The same has happened in other sectors, such as in the field of art. Thus, companies such as Telefónica have launched projects such as the Telefónica NFT Marketplace , in which creators can sell their artistic works. All the collections integrated in it are based on the Polygon network, giving users the possibility to buy digital and unique works of their favorite creators.
Are you a lover of progress? Get your Meta Quest 2 and dive immersively into the future. We are waiting for you on the other side!
