New York Fashion Week returned in person this season with a stellar lineup of fashion shows and presentations from new designers and household names alike. However, several major brands chose to remain virtual including Jonathan Simkhai, Alice and Olivia, and more. It seems this pandemic practicality is here to stay for the fashion world. At NYFW: The Talks a panel of experts explored what we can expect from virtual fashion shows, the metaverse, and more in the future.
The panel held at Spring Studios included experts on the Metaverse, digital fashion design, fashion marketing, and Vogue Business Senior Innovation Editor Maghan McDowell.
The panelists focused on the future of fashion in the metaverse and how designers and brands can continue to reach customers in an increasingly virtual world. One major theme the panelists covered was the virtual fashion show. While live streams and fashion films have been around for years, technical advances in the metaverse and the rapid digital adoption that occurred during Covid have given a new meaning to the term virtual fashion show. Now, audience members can participate in virtual runway shows as if they were really there, using personalized avatars and even gaining special access to backstage footage. While virtual fashion shows allow people to participate from anywhere including the comfort of their own homes, it doesn't necessarily mean that the shows will be any less exclusive. For luxury brands, virtual fashion shows offer another avenue to provide a personalized experience for VIP customers around the world. Virtual fashion also provides for endless creativity and the panelists agreed that virtual shows are a great way to find out what fashion can look like when it is not confined by the laws of physics. Some exciting design possibilities could be in our future and as Maghan McDowell pointed out, we could even get to wear virtual fashion items while on Zoom!
The panelists also discussed the future of how physical clothing items will integrate with virtual worlds. According to panelist John Lynden, CEO of Mythical Games, video games and virtual worlds offer the perfect environment for luxury brands to test out virtual pieces of fashion to an existing customer base. Panelist Umindi Francis CBO at Infinite World agreed that studying use cases and the success of exclusive digital merchandise in video games is a great way for brands to dip their foot into the future of digital commerce. According to the panelists, a future where every luxury purchase comes with a digital twin in the metaverse could be closer than we think. There are numerous benefits to this idea and panelist Daria Shapovalova and CEO of a virtual fashion store DressX pointed out that it would make verifying luxury items in the resale market fast, easy, and accurate. Perhaps more so than ever before.
Some brands like Dior, have already begun to test out the virtual world partnering with video games to offer exclusive products while other luxury brands have partnered with young creators to inform on strategy. According to the panelists, the new perspectives have been energizing for everyone involved. According to Umindi Francis just as social media has become a key marketing strategy for fashion brands, a Web 3 strategy will be key in the future and a successful Web 3 strategy must include collaboration.
Whether the metaverse was always an inevitable part of fashion's future or our post-pandemic world has created this opportunity one thing is clear: virtual fashion is here to stay.
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