Can you imagine waking up one day and, instead of searching through your wardrobe to decide what to wear, you plug into a virtual device and see an interactive interface that lists “digital clothes” in all sizes – ready to pay for? Or would you rather try on the inflatable cloud-shaped dress that you bought online yesterday, which is impossible to get in real life at this moment?
In the above scenario, instead of adorning themselves with fabric and thread, people encode themselves with pixels and codes and clothing exists purely in the digital realm. As technology blurs the line between reality and imagination, this fantasy is becoming reality.
“I thought that these clothes were designed to be used by game characters in the online world until I purchased and ‘wore’ my first virtual dress – a $40 dress that fit perfectly and was designed creatively enough to make me realise that the merging of the digital and the real was happening,” said 20-year-old Mia Chen, an international student in Singapore and a fashion enthusiast. Virtual fashion is still a relatively unknown concept to most people, they may see it as a sci-fi idea before they are exposed to it.
In recent years, with the emergence of AI and the meta-universe, more and more brands intend to take part in this wave. For instance, the online try-on feature on fashion shopping sites and the virtual shows organised by Gucci have been very well received. Clothing designers have also started to create futuristic clothing without the constraints of cost and fabric. As a result, emerging trends are reshaping the fashion landscape, providing an endless playground for creativity and self-expression. A fashion revolution in “virtual clothing” is on the horizon.
Tech-driven Retail Revolution: Online fitting rooms have entered the market
Image credit: Taobao’s virtual try-on function, courtesy of alizila.com
With progress in rendering technology, more and more platforms have begun to use it to build a bridge of communication with consumers. For example, Taobao, China’s largest online shopping website, has launched an “online try-on” block on the site. When you go to Taobao’s iFashion interface, all you need to do is upload a photo of your facial features and enter information such as height and weight. After selecting your style preference, the system will automatically recommend hundreds of outfits, allowing you to try them on online.
Similarly, Reactive Reality, an XR technology company, has released an AR shopping app called PICTOFiT. It is designed to integrate with e-commerce shops and offer a better shopping experience. Shoppers can customise their avatars to fit their body shape and size, enabling them to virtually try on clothes before paying the bill. Apart from this, luxury fashion brand Hugo Boss has also announced a partnership with Reactive Reality, as “online fitting rooms” can help consumers make well-informed and confident purchasing decisions without leaving their homes.
Beyond the Screen: Digital fashion breaks the shackles of creativity
If the online fitting room is only the first stage in the integration of digital media with reality, then clothing created by mouse and keyboard is what really opens the door between the real and virtual realms.
In the fashion industry, virtual clothing is defined as a type of fashion that is designed through computer-generated graphics or augmented reality technology that simulates fabrics. Designers are given endless flexibility and creativity; these clothes can come in any shape, colour, and style, and can even incorporate elements of digital art, gaming culture, or sci-fi, such as a dress made of water and fabric that can change colour at any time depending on the light.
From the perspective of designers, Thea Xu, a fashion design and print student studying at Central Saint Martins（CSM) said: “The biggest difference virtual fashion offers to me is the ability to overlook many constraints of real-life, such as gravity, materials, and visual limitations. In virtual software, you can create fantastical structures without worrying about how to actualize them, as everything is possible within the software.” These pieces usually start with a digital model of the so-called garment, created using 3D modelling software after the creative team has determined the design direction through inspiration and fashion trends. The designer then goes on to add textures and materials to make the garment look realistic. Once the garment model is complete, after adding animations and special effects, digital clothing is created in a virtual environment. “In the design and production of virtual fashion, I mainly made it through the clo 3D software. In the preliminary design stage and printing design stage, you can do some attempts to create, cut and make plates and use various painting materials in real life, and then you can import them into the computer and use the software to make it, so as to support or develop your creativity.” Thea said.
At the same time, virtual fashion also leads to a new way of connecting designers and consumers. Through digital platforms, designers can interact more directly with consumers and understand their preferences and needs, creating more creative and personalised work. Styles such as “inflatable” have been created, and they are the product of a breakthrough in fabric design.
It can be seen that virtual fashion provides a space for designers to experiment with avant-garde design concepts and explore the possibilities of future fashion.
Virtual Fashion Takes Center Stage: the future of digital fashion
As interest in virtual fashion continues to grow, the clothing market is experiencing a tranformation. From video game-style fashion shows at Balenciaga and Christian Louboutin, to 3D models at Burberry, and virtual filters for trying on Dior accessories – more and more brands have begun their own experiments to varying degrees. Some platforms up-and-coming platforms focus on providing and selling virtual fashion alone.
In 2019, The Fabricant, the world’s first online clothing shop to offer only “digital clothing”, launched the world’s “first” purely digital dress, Iridescence, selling it for $9,500. We talked about this with Roy Leu, a consultant who works in Canary Wharf. He said that although he spends at least £4,000 a month on buying new clothes, he still can’t accept paying such large expenses for digital clothes. He believes that this is because the cost of such clothes is quite difficult to measure. This shows that people look forward to a future where different kinds of clothing coexists, but also don’t want the rules of the market to be broken by technology.
To summarise, the surge of interest in virtual fashion is reshaping the clothing market landscape. With pioneering showcases by renowned brands and the emergence of dedicated platforms, the industry is embracing digital innovation with fervour. However, the journey towards mainstream acceptance is fraught with challenges. The volatile nature of customer engagement and the evolving technological landscape, particularly under artificial intelligence, underscore the uncertain trajectory of digital fashion.
As we navigate this evolving landscape, consumers envision a future where diverse forms of clothing coexist harmoniously. However, the preservation of market integrity remains paramount, as the industry grapples with the transformative potential of technology. Ultimately, the journey towards embracing digital fashion in its entirety requires careful consideration of its implications and a steadfast commitment to innovation tempered by market principles.