merging URL and IRL
Artists and designers will impose constraints to aid in the creative process. In 2020-21, Covid-19 took care of that for us. In many ways fashion, retail and hospitality suffered, but there were a few “rules” about how, when and why we do things that were abandoned, resulting in expressions that feel like they were buttressed by the pandemic, instead of restrained by it.
The seemingly oppositional pull between the URL (digital) and IRL (physical) expressions reinforce that print isn’t dead and we can’t live on digital experiences alone. Taking cues from the virtual worlds of gaming - a merging of the physical and digital spaces has continued to evolve. This trend is not new, something that tech has been building towards for years, but what is fresh about it is that in the case of our current predicament, our ability to opt out has been reduced. While we might not all be ready to purchase a virtual garment for our online persona, we benefit from the infrastructure, algorithms and tech when we are able to order a Sweetgreen salad, have it delivered via Postmates, pay for it with Apple Pay.
BEYOND PHYSICALITY
The Virtual Fashion Archive is an online space bringing culturally significant fashion garments beyond the constraints of their physical form, and into the added dimensions of motion, interaction, and participation.
You can read about the process in Beyond Physicality.
In an article in the Guardian, titled “Fashion meets Fortnite: 3D clothes and digital catwalks”, Kerry Murphy, founder of “digital fashion house” Fabricant, claims digital fashion“is going to be as big as retail”, who argues that paying for digital clothing had already been normalised for players of Fortnite.“Everyone has a virtual identity, and that is only going to get bigger.” 1 He calls this a shift from Haute Couture to Thought Couture.
<excerpt> “What if the garments you create exist outside ideas established in the 19th century?…This is the story of Mary, the owner of the first digital couture dress on the blockchain EVER. Welcome to Thought Couture”.
This is where that video game part comes in. The research firm, Institute of Network Cultures explore “The Archaeology of Virtual Worlds”, citing the monetization of the video game industry, as an indicator of this thinking spilling into other categories. “Unsurprisingly, virtual worlds have been money-spinners since long before the pandemic. Rockstar has reportedly raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in microtransactions from GTA Online since its launch in 2013. Minecraft (bought by Microsoft for $ 2.5 billion in 2014) is not only the best-selling video game of all time (it sold more than 200 million copies) but a transmedia empire ranging from films to merchandise. In 2019 alone, Epic Games’ crown jewel Fortnite brought in a staggering $ 1.8 billion in revenue (mostly via battle passes and cosmetic items). Despite being controversially removed from Apple’s app store in 2020, the game still boasts hundreds of millions of active players. Per The Verge, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, one of the key symbols of social life in the time COVID-19, “catapulted Nintendo to stratospheric earnings” selling more than 22 million copies. Finally, Roblox is preparing to go public, aiming for nothing short of a $8 billion evaluation.”2
I’m not going to lie, it’s very wild to me in the light of our theme, Sustain, the extensive look we are taking at Biomimicry, and the vast implications of human impact on climate, that we choose to create new, virtual worlds instead of caring for the tangible one in front of us but that may be a Cyborg Manifesto conversation for a different day.
But what it does highlight to me, is the ever-present polarity of our current marketplace. At one end of the binary opposition we have this continued deeper-dive into gamify-ing and recontextualiz-ing reality. On the other, the desire for tactile, ephemeral personalization. In our branding work, founders consistently request a unique unboxing experience for their customers, something that will be so delightful they will want to keep the packaging forever. This process is thoughtful and usually at a high expense. To me, it indicates value.
LET’S GET PHYGITAL
Fashion shows and retail, which are typically an IRL experience, were able to expand their expression this year -- creatives had permission to express in a complete concept. This was not only focused on virtual or digital executions. Things merged to phygital (physical + digital). Standouts (below) also had a direct tie to the collection like Reese Cooper and his “The call of the wild should not be HELP!” message emblazoned on garments. Or navigating between virtual and tangible newsprint like Loewe, with The Show Has Been Cancelled. Khaite, managed to connect two points in time with a 1970’s Skyline movie theater and collateral that transported you back to Farrah Fawcett hair and Bookman typefaces.
REESE COOPER F/W 2021
<commentary from Reese Cooper on the Pyrophyte soundtrack> “Sometime in September I called Reed Bennett and pitched him an idea. I wanted to take "Come Here" off Dominic Fike's last album and turn it into a score done by a real string section. He connected me with Julian Cruz & about a 4 month group chat lead to this. Huge thank you to Brianna Rhodes for playing live at the show!”
Reese Cooper set his show at the Mount Wilson Observatory, a location that was nearly destroyed in the California wildfires of 2020. His collection was a response to the devastation of nature, which is showcased in jackets printed with “The call of the wild should not be HELP!”. Additionally, he partnered with U.S. Forest Service to plan the collection and a portion of proceeds will do to the National Forest Foundation. The meandering path of the models through nature, into the observatory and the finale of the fashion show captured via drone around the circular exterior deck is something that couldn’t have been accomplished under normal circumstances.
This is an excerpt of an article from our past issue. Subscribe to read more on:
Fashion shows and retail, which are typically an IRL experience, were able to expand their expression this year -- creatives had permission to express in a complete concept. This was not only focused on virtual or digital executions. Things merged to phygital (physical + digital).
The gaming market and how it intersects with fashion consumer base creating an onramp for technology in the category.
Takeaway ideas to jumpstart you and your company’s potential in joining the open source, community-based economy of the future
SOURCES
1Fashion Meets Fortnite: 3D Clothes and Digital CatwalksThe Guardian
2The Archaeology of Virtual Worlds Institute of Network Cultures
3Ssense Launches Innovative Shopping Format Vogue UK
PHOTO CREDITS
1Issey Miyake Digital Fashion Archive
2Thought Couture the_fab_ric_ant instagram
3Digital Skin ConciergeBuly 1806