The Beginning of Now: The Uprise of Digital Fashion

In 1992 a new digital community was created, the metaverse. A community in which people can represent themselves through avatars while completing daily tasks such as working, shopping, and communicating with others. The creation of this new digital world was initiated by the rapid rise of the internet, ultimately leading to many services that paved the way to the creation of the metaverse. Many confuse the internet with the metaverse but the two are very different. The best way to compare the two is by looking at the internet as a place people go to look for things and scope, versus the metaverse which is a place where many could live by mimicking aspects of the real world. Upon establishment, blockchain technology was used causing the Metaverse to be decentralized, meaning that the government can not regulate this community. New currencies such as crypto are used in the Metaverse which is historically significant because we now have a currency which is not governmentally regulated. Not only has the metaverse caused economic significance but has also influenced and changed the fashion industry.

In 2022, the very first Metaverse Fashion Week was held (MVFW). MVFW was held by Decentralnd, a global network of users to operate the shared virtual world. This four day event consisted of 60 fashion designers in which displayed their Spring 2022 season across Decentraland’s “neighborhoods” which were a part of the new fashion district. Many A-list designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce and Gabbana, White Rabbit and many more attended shows and displayed their exhibits. Digital exhibitions were beautifully displayed and the event was a success with over 108,000 visitors. This is a moment in fashion history because most fashion week shows are exclusively and invitation only. With the Metaverse we are now seeing that what used to be high end and exclusive events are now something which is accessible to anyone with the internet. Experts are now saying that buying clothes for your avatars will become as desirable as customers buying pieces from catwalks in fashion capitals. As we enter this new age of fashion, endless opportunities are being presented and new boundaries are being broken. In a few years we will be in a whole new world of fashion, we are in the beginning of now.