What you might have missed at Metaverse Fashion Week
For decades, fashion designers have showcased their collections in a host of iconic venues in cities around the world, from Lincoln Center in New York to Spazio Cavallerizze in Milan to Le Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées in Paris. And now, Decentraland.
From March 24-27, high-end houses as well as established and digital-native brands, including Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Forever 21, DKNY and Estée Lauder, entered the virtual world to present at the first Metaverse Fashion Week (MVFW). The four-day event featured runway shows, brand activations, interactive experiences, after-parties with performances by artists including Grimes, and digital storefront shopping opportunities, much like an IRL fashion week , but with a teleportation element.
Hosted by the Decentraland Foundation, the non-profit organization that oversees the 3D browser-based platform, MVFW was held in community-run quarters within the new Fashion District, which is owned by the Metaverse group.
The fashion industry has become one of the first major users in the metaverse space, with big-name designers moving in. For example, Forever 21 Shop City allows fashion users and influencers to own and manage stores in Roblox. And Gucci bought digital land in The Sandbox to expand its online store concept. Not to mention Balenciaga, which has teamed up with the online game Fortnite to sell four signature items from its collection, which have served as skins and accessories for avatars.
“I think it’s easy for brands to approach and find their own identity in this particular ecosystem,” says Dr. Giovanna Graziosi Casimiro, head of MVFW, about the industry’s adoption of this technology. booming. “I think fashion has integrated a lot of different media to express who it is. For example, fashion movies have become very popular with fashion brands. So I think extending the narrative of these designers to the metaverse and 3D is something a lot of designers are actually doing already. Screenshot: Courtesy of Decentraland
For MVFW, Estée Lauder created an NFT wearable based on the brand’s popular serum, Advanced Night Repair. Entrants were able to enter the product’s iconic “Little Brown Bottle” to unlock a digital badge, or “Proof of Attendance Protocol”, and could also claim an NFT-backed digital wearable that gave their avatars a glowing aura inspired by the serum.
Authentic Brands Group’s Forever 21 has leased the equivalent of 450,000 square feet of space in the platform’s fashion district to open a virtual store with avatars acting as sellers and NFTs of fashion outfits. avatar. Guests were able to explore MVFW for free, but to buy NFTs or even get free ones, users had to create a blockchain wallet.
On his own Decentraland estate, designer Philipp Plein hosted a runway show and after party with DJs, as well as a see-now-buy-now collection available as a limited-edition NFT. Held in Plein Plaza, the show featured a metallic skull-like animatronic structure from which avatar models appeared to strut. And Dolce & Gabbana presented a true “catwalk” with cat-faced avatar models walking down a figure-eight track inside a stadium-like space with bleachers. There was standing room only (because avatars can’t sit, of course). Screenshot: Courtesy of Decentraland
But being a virtual landowner was not a requirement. In an effort to build a democratized fashion space, Decentraland has helped coordinate the construction of the infrastructure of numerous designer storefronts.
“Because we are a non-profit organization, our goal is not to charge brands to enter Decentraland, but rather to facilitate entry,” says Casimiro. “That’s why we decided to invest and create this event and make it accessible to all the brands that wanted it.” Casimiro and his team connected brands with creators on the platform; all 3D models of the walkways, as well as store interiors, were created by studios in the Decentraland community.
As with any new event – IRL or virtual – MVFW has had some issues. Casimiro acknowledges the technical limitations of the platform, especially for an event of this scale, explaining that these are the current growth difficulties of Web3 and decentralized blockchains.
Despite the hiccups, the platform had 108,000 unique attendees during the event, with $76,757 worth of apparel sold.
Of course, you can’t put a price on being cool. After collaborating with designers such as Rebecca Minkoff and Christian Cowan on high-tech fashion projects, Yahoo launched its own venue during the event with the intention of using the space for future brand collaborations. For MVFW, the company brought its Electric/City immersive shopping environment to Decentraland with The Initiation: A Charli Cohen x RSTLSS Collection. During the experience, visitors were able to explore a mysterious alien artifact that displayed the clothes, teleport to the rooftop for a live DJ_Dave set, visit a sports bar, browse a digital art gallery, and purchase music. NFT art as well as NFT clothing from the collection.
“Yahoo has seen huge growth in younger audiences this year, reaching nearly two-thirds of the Gen Z audience in the United States, and we’ve been innovating in technology for some time,” says Joanna Lambert, president. and CEO of Yahoo, on the brand’s decision to participate in MVFW. “The possibilities are endless as we explore how to create immersive experiences for the next generation. The desire for a combination of digital and physical engagement is evolving in this ever-changing landscape, and we’re really focused on what the experience can be in both the digital and real world. Screenshot: Courtesy of Decentraland
As we’ve seen, the pandemic has spurred the rise of virtual events and work-from-home culture, prompting some to venture further into the digital fashion closet.
“I think a lot of people have realized that maybe I don’t need so many clothes when we stay at home,” Casimiro thinks. “I think you’re starting to realize that your avatar is an extension of yourself and could be something beyond what you show in physical space. You can actually be whatever you want to be inside. inside the metaverse.
Looking ahead, Casimiro says she envisions MVFW becoming an annual event hosted on other virtual platforms and metaverses, allowing designers and brands to reach an even wider audience. “You can have people all over the world watching the show at the same time together. That, I think, is very powerful.
Screenshot: Courtesy of Decentraland