Digital fashion is rapidly emerging as a groundbreaking innovation, reshaping the way we think about clothing, sustainability, and self-expression. Unlike traditional fashion, digital fashion involves creating virtual garments that exist solely in the digital realm, often crafted using 3D design software like CLO, Browzwear & more. These digital outfits can be worn by avatars in virtual worlds, featured in AR & VR experiences, or even purchased as NFTs (non-fungible tokens), offering a new form of fashion that is both sustainable and limitless in creativity.
One of the key drivers of digital fashion is the growing interest in the metaverse and online identity. As more people spend time in virtual environments, there is an increasing demand for unique, digitally native fashion items that allow users to express their individuality without the constraints of physical materials. Brands like The Fabricant and DressX are leading the charge, collaborating with designers to create stunning digital collections that push the boundaries of what fashion can be.
Digital fashion also addresses some of the environmental concerns associated with traditional fashion. Since these garments are never physically produced, they generate no waste, require no raw materials, and can be endlessly repurposed or reimagined. This makes digital fashion not only a creative playground for designers but also a potential solution to known challenges in the fashion industry.
As technology continues to evolve, digital fashion is poised to become a significant part of the industry, offering endless possibilities for innovation and self-expression in the virtual age.
Digital fashion — the self-expression marketplace for Generation Z with the potential to grow 500x
Written by Anton Elston CEO & founder of DEXART Metaverse
Digital fashion provides new opportunities for self-expression and choice of identity for representatives of generation Z. According to experts, the Digital Fashion market has the prospect of growing more than 500 times by 2027. And what's also important is that it will do so without causing any harm to the environment.
What is digital fashion?
Digital fashion is virtual 3D clothing designed for people and avatars. It is created without the use of fabric and textiles using 3D graphics software.
Digital Fashion is much cheaper to create than traditional clothing and does not change its properties while it's being used. More importantly, there are no creative or production boundaries at all – it is through this freedom that the true beauty of digital fashion is revealed. The only limit is our imagination. On the Internet, we do not need to be the same people that we are in real life. We can be who we want to be.
Digital fashion market
According to Market growth reports, the U.S. digital fashion market was estimated at $120 million in 2022. This market is expected to grow at an accelerated pace, resulting in a 188% compound annual growth rate to reach $67.6 billion by 2027. So it's estimated to grow 566 times compared to the current one.
Digital fashion has not only become widespread in the metaverse and PC games, where gamers spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year to dress their avatars in the latest skins, but it has also infiltrated social media. In particular, DressX, which uses the slogan "Don't limit yourself by buying digital clothes," has already flooded Instagram with Digital Fashion images.
Roblox
The most famous example of a developed digital fashion market is Roblox, an online platform that allows any user to create their own games covering a wide range of genres. The platform combines games, social networks and provides users with the opportunity to earn and spend virtual money.
The company said that in 2022 more than 52 million people have been playing Roblox online daily.
Roblox Vice President of Global Partnerships Christina Wootton wrote an article on digital fashion trends on the platform.
She said Roblox has a strong presence of iconic fashion brands that are collaborating with the developers of Layered Clothing, a new technology that creates hyper-realistic 3D clothing. 2022 has seen a strong influx of global fashion and beauty brands creating digital clothing for Roblox, including Gucci, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, NARS, Alo Yoga, supermodel and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss, and metaverse fashion companies, such as DressX.
In 2022, over 11.5 million designers created over 62 million virtual clothing items and accessories for Roblox. These designers dress millions of people around the world and influence how they express themselves in both the digital and physical worlds. By comparison, there are at least 200 times more designers designing clothing and accessories at Roblox than there are physical fashion designers in the United States.
Recognizing progress in the development of digital fashion on the platform, the company launched a survey of thousands of users from Gen Z who were active on Roblox. Recent industry research points to Gen Z's "enormous cultural and economic impact." This group of consumers makes up about a quarter of the world's population, and in the United States alone, its purchasing power has already reached hundreds of billions of dollars. The prestige and influence of digital fashion is growing as Gen Z spends more and more time in immersive social spaces like Roblox.
Survey data showed that dressing avatars allows consumers to express their individuality (47%) and feel good about themselves (43%), as well as showcase a digital collection and feel more connected to peers – both digitally and in the physical world.
“Just like in the physical world, people tend to interact with and react to others based on how they look and dress, which has a profound effect on their self-confidence and relationships with others,” Wootton writes.
However, more than half (58%) of respondents consider a career as a digital fashion designer as attractive or even more attractive than a job as a physical fashion designer. This mainly concerns those users who spend $100 per month on avatar clothing.
“We look forward to seeing the next generation of fashion designers and brands deeply immersed in digital fashion in the near future, dressing up avatars, designing digital 3D versions of their collections, and creating exclusive items for our metaverse,” concluded Roblox VP.
DressX
The leading digital fashion marketplace is DressX. At the same time, it is one of the most popular fashion websites, featuring collections from world famous artists such as Van Gogh, Vermeer, Kandinsky, Schiele, as well as fashion brands including Pacsun and others.
The company recently launched an app that runs a virtual AR fitting before buying a piece of clothing or an entire look. The Crypto.com service is responsible for cryptocurrency transactions. The NFT marketplace of the platform has recently opened, which has become a real event for digital fashion collectors.
Self expressing and saving the planet
According to Jackson Bridges, NFT Advisor at Alterrage, digital fashion creates a new medium for individual expression.
“In the metaverse, we can define our own identity, unlike in the physical world, where we cannot choose our race, gender, and cultural background. Digital fashion builds on this idea, expanding the possibilities of self-expression beyond the limitations of the physical world through the use of augmented and virtual reality technologies. The ability of a person to express himself in conditions of unlimited creative freedom opens the door to the true expression of his individuality,” — he believes.
It is important that this celebration of self-expression and consumption does not lead to the creation of physical waste and environmental pollution as a result of production - and this is so despite the fact that new digital collections are released on a biweekly basis. In the metaverses, fashion can be consumed safely and sustainably. This is exactly what Generation Z needs.
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