Fashion 2022: How do designers understand the metaverse?

Imagine a world where your digital identity is as important as your real life identity. Where you need assets and items for your virtual self such as money (cryptocurrency), houses (perhaps built on Minecraft) and clothes.

As we increasingly live our lives online, fashion brands are betting on the idea that some consumers are already there with the launch of digital clothing collections and collaborations with gaming platforms. In 2022, the hottest trends and most anticipated launches won’t be dropping on the catwalks, they’ll be playing on our screens as designers explore the metaverse.

The term ‘metaverse’ was coined by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in his 1992 book Snow Crash. It is a space where humans interact in a virtual environment as 3D avatars.

Today, it becomes less fiction as we work, socialize, study, and spend our free time on the internet, but there are important differences between our lives now and the metaverse.

“I would describe the metaverse as a virtual space that is not confined to a single social environment or game. This is a virtual world where you can, for example, wear the same digital outfit in all spaces. It doesn’t exist yet but the groundwork has been laid,” said Kristina Dimitrova, brand consultant and founder of fashion and technology platform Interlaced.

Much of the groundwork for fashion’s foray into the metaverse was laid in 2021, paving the way for bigger things to come next year. In May, Gucci Garden launched on Roblox, a branded virtual space that includes a historic campaign themed room and a place to try and buy the brand’s limited edition digital clothing.

In September, Balenciaga became the first luxury brand to partner with the video game Fortnite on a variety of clothing for characters, known as ‘skins’. It also released a variety of physical merchandise to coincide with the digital launch.

Dimitrova says that this blurring between the physical and virtual worlds is something we will see more of in 2022. “As a gamer, you can pay for skins or get them in-game or buy real products from certain stores. to use it in real life. I think we will see more brands connecting the online and offline worlds like this.”

This is something designer Charli Cohen is also exploring this year in collaborations with Pokémon, department store Selfridges, and production company RYOT Lab. Cohen created a range of digital and physical apparel for sale through Electric/City, a virtual world hosted on the Selfridges website that shoppers can explore and interact with.

Cohen’s next venture, soon to launch, is one step closer to the metaverse. “I’ve spent the past year building RSTLSS, a platform that allows artists, brands and their fans to easily create customizable and interoperable Metaverse tools,” he told Euronews. “Interoperability will be a key focus for digital fashion in 2022 – the ability to bring your digital outfit to a variety of games and social spaces.”

Mode? Probably not

These early experiments in cyberspace may feel like a gimmick, but there’s good reason to believe it’s more than just a fad. With Facebook rebranding to Meta to reflect its scope of work which includes building a metaverse, it is likely to put momentum behind brand activity in this space.

Futurist and editor of the future technology and culture magazine CYBR, James Joseph, explains:

“Think how big Facebook is, and that’s how they move, and a lot of people follow it. A lot of people don’t understand NFT, they don’t understand crypto, and they don’t have to. What will happen is it will become a part of people’s daily lives without them realizing it.”

Dimitrova explains this worldwide appeal for fashion brands: “For fashion brands, it provides another avenue to the market. The stereotypical gamer is not what fashion brands have traditionally targeted. You tend to think of a 13 year old boy in his room eating snacks, but in reality, a lot of gamers are women and people who have other interests outside gaming, including fashion, so it makes sense. Also people who play games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Animal Crossing are really engaging with the platform, so if you can add value to their experience, that’s a great brand strategy.”

Luxury brands ahead of the curve

Luxury labels have been at the forefront so far, but the highways are catching up. Adidas announced initial plans for an ‘adiVerse’ in November with a loyalty scheme using a crypto badge and a plot of land in the mobile game The Sandbox allocated to the brand – although further details on this have yet to be revealed.

That same month, British department store John Lewis partnered with television channel ITV on their I’m A Celebrity game experience created on Fortnite to host a branded store for supplies.

For designers like Cohen, this digital world represents more than just a marketing opportunity but a new expansion of creative possibilities: “Identity has evolved – there is no longer a line between the physical and digital ‘we’. The streets have turned to gaming and social media – and accurately incorporating your visual identity into these spaces is just as important as IRL. As a designer, I am passionate about empowering and facilitating that.”

While we look forward to more metaverse brand activations that are sure to be announced in 2022, some of the most exciting developments are coming from the tech companies themselves. One of the most anticipated launches planned for 2022 is Microsoft Mesh, which will take Teams meetings to a new level by allowing users with VR headsets to appear in virtual worlds and interact with virtual objects.

For fashion, this could mean holding a digital catwalk show where guests feel as if they were there or offering a private shopping appointment where they meet remotely with a stylist to show them the latest digital collection.

The Metaverse is coming and fashion brands want to make sure you dress for it.