How to get dressed in digital fashion
CONTRIBUTOR LEONIE EXPLORES FOR YOU THE VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES OF THE DIGITAL FASHION WORLD, ITS ADVANTAGES AND HOW TO GET STARTED ON DIGITAL LOOKS
THE WHAT, HOW, AND WHY OF DIGITAL FASHION
The first time I heard about digital fashion it sounded futuristic. Everyone I talk to about digital fashion thinks it's very futuristic. I’m here to tell you digital fashion should not be put aside as an abstract futuristic concept. Digital fashion is here. It may be in its infancy, but it's extremely exciting to watch it grow.
Okay, okay - Before I lose you in the first 3 sentences of this article and you drift off wondering “what is digital fashion?”, take a look at this pictures of me. On the left I’m wearing just my usual gym style, but on the right I’m wearing a digital fit, which was originally created by The Fabricant and then redesigned and edited onto an image of me by the Dystopian Creatives. You’re wondering why I did this. Why would I get dressed in a digital garment? Let me tell you.
DIGITAL FASHION ALLOWS THE PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE
Aside from the fact that I get easily excited about cool fits and cool technologies (this intersection being a no-brainer for me), I find this idea of wearing a digital garment extremely playful and expressive. Digital fashion allows for creative and emotional outlets and trust me when I say these virtual and augmented worlds have no limits.
Fitting process by @dystopiancreatives on Model @3dee_leonie
In digital spaces gravity doesn’t apply, flames don’t hurt and materials are not costly. However, realism still plays a factor, and having fashion design skills can be an advantage when it comes to the creation of digital garments.
DIGITAL FASHION AS EXPRESSION OF IDENTITY
Is it strange to admit that even though I think this fit looks incredibly good I would most likely never wear it in real life? Aside from the fact that we are in a global pandemic, meaning I have absolutely no occasion to wear it, and the chance that it might not be possible to recreate this outfit 1:1 with physical materials, my style irl is also rather casual and sporty, and I simply wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing this.
Dressing this way on the internet, however, is a way for me to express myself and show how I feel about fashion whilst getting creative with the possibilities. Let’s be honest, what we share on social media, all the good and also the sad, is in the control of the creator. Our online identity is carefully crafted - digital fashion adds another level for expression.
DIGITAL FASHION AS A WAY TO COMBAT FAST FASHION
Anyone concerned with sustainability in the fashion industry has likely read the following sentence about 1000 times: The greenhouse gas emissions from the textile industry add up to more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined. This observation is from the Ellen MacArthur report, where you can read many more of these unsettling facts. Guess what! Digital clothes don’t need to be flown anywhere or shipped around on our oceans.
Designers and fashion houses no longer need to create physical samples that end up as waste. Digital samples are a huge advantage in the design and production process of clothes when it comes to speed and agility.
The fashion industry, currently relying on shipping clothes to photoshoots, to influencers, to customers, and ultimately to landfills, can be reimagined if it includes digital versions of these garments. While I think it’s important to not be oblivious to the reality that the places where we will create and wear digital clothing, such as laptops and phones also have their environmental footprints, I’m also aware that there is no one-stop solution to replace this mass-consumerism we are practicing.
THINK ABOUT IT
The amount of waste that could be saved by redirecting this destructive fast-paced fashion cycle of trends and cheap clothes is a good reason to have a closer look at digital fashion and give it a chance.
HOW TO GET STARTED ON WEARING DIGITAL LOOKS
The creation of digital garments requires fashion design, digital design, and photoshop skills. Don’t worry, if you don’t plan on learning how to do all of this yourself you can still partake in the fun - I’ll spill the details in this next part:
Now, how can you wear digital garments if you are not a fashion or digital designer? In 2020 designers, brands and e-commerce shops have emerged to work on exactly this matter.
While I think that wearing the digital garment with an AR filter is the most exciting, we’ll have to stay patient for the development of this application a bit longer. Currently, the most accessible way is to purchase a digital garment online. You can browse digital fashion webshops like any other online store and choose the garment you want to purchase. Additionally, you send the company a picture of yourself, onto which they will edit the garment to fit you. In some cases you can buy the garment’s digital file itself, in other cases, you’re buying the edited image, and sometimes both.
On all of the websites where you can purchase an image of you wearing a digital fit, you’ll find instructions and fitting guides that tell you which photos work and which don’t. For my look, I even had a photoshoot just for this purpose. However, that’s not necessary; any image with good lighting and your body shape being visible will do perfectly fine. I recommend checking out Tribute Brand, Dress-X, ROHBAU and the Replicant’s online store. And psst, listen up, TRASHYMUSE will be launching their own digital clothing soon. I recommend staying tuned!
TO ROUND UP...
One of my favourite versions of the future is imagining that instead of expressing ourselves through fast, trend-based, and disposable clothing, we are dressing in functional and appropriate everyday wear that lasts for a long time. A digital layer lets us wear designs, patterns, and statements that become visible through virtual or augmented reality.
Maybe this way of dressing doesn’t sound attractive to everyone, but aren’t you curious where digital clothes could take us? How will we shop, wear and communicate through clothes in 10 years? What might we be able to, need to, and want to wear? And how will our digital identities continue to evolve?
Digital fashion is an exciting door to open. Standing before it, it feels futuristic, but once you’ve turned that doorknob and walked through, there is so much to explore. This is only the beginning.
