Dressed in Pixels
Digital fashion offers a way to experiment with trends and avoid sending garments to the landfill
By Anne Lee
Instagram
If you could wear something new every day — without buying into some of the excesses of the fast fashion industry — would you?
Today’s fashion trend cycles seem to last only a few days — that is, until our feed refreshes. How do we get past our addiction to novelty and instant gratification? Can we enjoy looking cool without environmental guilt?! While we mentally unpack our desire to over-consume, we can experiment with a new option: digital fashion!
So what IS digital fashion? Essentially, 3D artists create digital garments to custom “fit” your personal photo or video. My own digital artwork explores the boundary between real and fictional realms. I use virtual reality to create visual and auditory elements that blend in with real-life settings.
Virtual reality is a place to experiment and have fun; ideally, a safe space for like-minded artists to create fantastical atmospheres. I create digital paintings, animations, and augmented reality filters that others can interact with on social media. My subject matter explores a post-fast-fashion world where I help encourage others to express themselves in their most vibrant, individual essence. Digital fashion allows me to create unlimited garments that mitigate some of the environmental concerns and labor exploitation that exist in today’s fast fashion industry.
Pictured: Real or digital? The photo on the left is a 3D digital garment. The one on the right is the original photo. 3D fashion utilizes software like CLO 3D and Marvelous Designer, which are already used by the fashion industry to make real-life garments. Fashion software uses real-life body measurements to custom-fit digital garments to your body.
Digital fashion currently sits in the realm of luxurious avant-garde 3D avatars. Independent artist collectives like XR Couture, DRESSX and replicant are leading the way to shoppable digital couture. They’re facilitating digital collaborations between big retail brands, artists and influencers. Luxury brands are starting to use digital fashion as a tool to spread brand awareness and “virtualize” their runway to gauge audience interest. Simultaneously, independent 3D artists are expressing ideas through digital fashion and are able to sustain themselves through brand deals and artistic collaborations.
So, can we wear digital fashion too? In short, yes! It may take a bit of effort to track down the few artists that specialize in digital clothing creation at the moment. Although digital fashion isn’t largely adopted yet, software development is automating processes that will give way to widespread participation. Bear in mind that some digital pieces of clothing offered by the aforementioned companies are just as costly as actual clothing. In some cases, what you pay for the digital piece entitles you to only a single edited photo of yourself in the outfit. As a creator, I see these transactions as a way to support VR designers, but purchasing digital fashion may not align with your budget or your overall values as a consumer.
Pictured: Original photo via @ssense, digitally enhanced AR filter by @annemakesstuff
The most accessible form of digital fashion today is through augmented reality (AR) filters on social media platforms. AR filters are a way for me to create 3D digital accessories that can be worn through use of your phone camera. AR technology is rapidly improving with body tracking and advancements in digital technologies like 5G and 3D rendering software. Many technological advancements happened this past year alone.
The market for virtual fashion is very much in the avant-garde and gamer realm at present. In the near future, more people will be able to wear digital designer clothing for a fraction of the traditional retail cost. Also, digital clothing can be made to fit ANY size. As technology advances, virtual fashion has the potential to make even our most extreme outfit fantasies accessible.
Secondhand clothing is still the most convenient alternative to big retail fashion. Also, digital products aren’t entirely free from waste, energy consumption, and negative impact on the environment. Our digital lives are housed in enormous data centers with an energy footprint that will only continue to grow unless leading companies in the industry (such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon) commit to running on 100% renewable energy. The tech industry also produces electronic waste that is harmful to the planet. I won’t give up the thrift just yet, but I will absolutely wear more digital outfits as they become readily accessible, and in some ways, more “real”!
For more information about the environmental impacts of our online activities, check out the BBC’s Smart Guide to Climate Change.
Editor: Phoebe Bates | Designer: Emma Geddes | Illustrator/Photographer: Anne Lee | Copyeditor: Katie Frankowicz | Communication/Support/Outreach: Elise Nye
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