“Enough of why digital fashion”, I said loudly reading one of the headlines of an e-conference I participated in. Two people sitting next to me asked: “the digital… what?”. And after 2 minutes of discussion, I realize that we, the people who work in the digital fashion, and the metaverse industry, are in our own bubble believing that people know what we know.
It is like when the doctor tells you what you have and your face takes the shape of a huge question mark, like the one Mr. Bean has on his face all the time, saying “Can you please try to explain to me as you would to a 3 yrs old baby?”
I know, I should not be surprised as despite living well into the twenty-first century, we are still making wars, talking about borders and gender, making laws to dictate what we should or shouldn’t do with our lives and our bodies. But this is a different hot story for another article.
The bottom line is that what we believe is the norm in our own bubble, is not a norm for others (what a revelation!), and then I realized that I needed to give my 7 reasons why brands, designers, influencers and fashion lovers should move to digital fashion.
Sustainability
Fashion industry holds the 3rd place in environmental impact. 2600 litres of water are needed to make a T-Shirt. Every brand produces 30 – 50 samples per season with an average of 40 pieces per sample. Do the math and multiply how many brands are out there and you will get an unimaginable amount in terms of impact. The digital prototype process had a jaw-dropping 97% as regards sustainability plus wearing digital garments in your social media activities will create social and working sustainability too.
Elimination of Supply Chain Costs
No physical samples, no need for ships, trains, or airplanes to send anything. Most of the brands sell to the West while producing East. Huge distances need to be covered in order for one brand to deliver its samples to as many as possible showrooms in a country, to every trade fair and every fashion show. The supply chain cost is huge. Without mentioning the risk of not delivering when issues like a pandemic or the war rise.
Reduction of Promotional Material Expenses, Increasing the efficiency and Uniqueness of Content
How many people need to be gathered to produce a photo shooting? How many deals with places need to be arranged and how many calls and agreements need to be performed?
Forget all those things as now you have a 3D creative team. They will produce Hollywood material in a couple of days, dressing the models you want, in the places you want with the scenario you… want! Your eShop will be 3D with as many photos as you want without the need to photoshoot anyone. Magic? Check some photos in this article.
Elimination of intermediaries reaching more markets and saving 80% of the cost
Hello guys, we discovered the internet a long time ago, and over 5 billion people are connected and spend their time on their mobile phones (why do we keep calling them ‘phone’?). They are expecting you to do your events digitally!
With digital samples, you can use digital showrooms, digital shows, and events and ask everyone to be there for free. There are plenty of digital showrooms, eCommerce, and agencies to help you promote and sell your garments before even producing them. In 2022 you don’t need intermediaries, you can speak directly to your audience. The mic is open and the stage is yours. Your audience is waiting for you. Stop spending your resources and wasting your time in old-fashioned ways. We are in the connection economy, so do yourself a favor and connect!
Elimination of Overproduction
60% of the garments remain unsold on the shelves of retail stores. Offering 52 seasons, people can’t adapt easily to the pace. And moreover, who needs a T-shirt on Friday and another one on Monday, having already bought 30 in the last two months?
Entering new markets
A brand that designs only for the physical world misses the opportunity to enter the Metaverse, a $148bn market that will reach $470bn in 2024 and $8 trillion by 2030. For brand decision-makers no need to tell more. The train is on the way, jump on it or you’ll be missing out.
Elimination of Overconsumption
Why do you buy more physical clothes when you live your life in the digital world? Statistics show that 40% of what we buy remains intact in our closets. When I read this I was impressed but then I opened my closet just to realize I was part of those statistics. Start building your digital wardrobe. Dress your digital content with virtual fashion that will declutter your closet. Also, having a digital wardrobe curated by people who know what they are doing gives you the opportunity to make your social accounts stand out for good!
A secret for designers, influencers, and fashion lovers
All we do is not permanent. Sustainability works on diversity and on constant change. Change is the norm, and instead of resistance to change, we should become enablers to allow this change to happen.
Digital fashion gives you the ultimate freedom.
For designers to break the limitations of the physical body and materials they use. When you design for the digital world, think that this world has no gravity and our avatars or digital photos are not influenced by the weather. So feel free to dress us with the wind, the fire, and ice, to add a bird flying around us, and to make our garments change colors based on our mood.
For Influencers, think that your followers need you to be unique and a pioneer. They expect you to lead them to new worlds. You don’t need anymore to be in a specific place but you need a world maker to create what you imagine. The question is not if you will do it, but when you will start.
For fashion lovers. Do you really need another t-shirt while you design your lifestyle on social media? Your photos on Social Media are in the gala and in the spotlight. Digital fashion can liberate you from the stress you feel every time you want to take a picture of yourself and enhance your personal brand. Start working on your digital wardrobe. Enter the Phygital world and you will find amazing balance in your life while your Social Media will stand out.
Conclusion
This is just a very small sample of reasons to move to digital fashion. There are many many more because when you go digital a door that leads to a million more opportunities opens: sales simulation, on-demand produce, avatars immortality, and future world simulations, digital wardrobe curation and stylist, life as a movie and individual entrepreneurship, and more. People used to think of technology skills like AR, VR, AI, 3D graphics, etc as the barrier to doing things but those are actually just tools. We need to see the broader picture. To think about why we do this; and then, the tools will follow us to design our expectations.
