It’s soon going to 2023 and the craze for metaverse is glowing more than ever as opposed to predictions made. Although skeptical in the beginning, luxury brands like Gucci and Balenciaga are bravely diving into Web3 with their unique approaches. 21 million people have visited Nike’s own version of the metaverse, Nikeland, while Gucci’s bag sold for $4000 in Gucci’s Garden, more than the actual one. These figures explain the potential the virtual world has in store for the fashion brand.
As a 3D creative studio specializing in digital fashion, virtual models, and spaces, we’ve put together what’s happening in the metaverse aka 2023 fashion trends. Also a quick glance at how as a brand, can move forward to have a strong foothold in the futuristic world.
In this blog, discover more about the following:
Evolution of Metaverse
Just an idea in the brain of an author, metaverse is now slowly turning into reality. A world with endless possibilities is awaiting all of us. Even more than the general audience, luxury brands have their keen eyes on it. With tech companies in the race to create the metaverse, brands are building new fashion trends with the existing digital infrastructure.
With the use of technologies like AR and VR, it is slowly turning into a space of interactivity mirroring the real world. To bring it closer to reality, brands and tech brands are creating avatars, digital outfits, and accessories to customize them, and unique art as collectibles. It has become a venue for fashion gatherings, a place to hang out, play and shop.
As companies race towards metaverse creation, new trends in the fashion industry keep cropping up.
Latest Developments Towards Metaverse
Meta’s Avatar Store
Taking their fashion metaverse into the next stage, Meta has recently launched its Avatar store. It is compatible with its signature platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Users can now customize their avatars with virtual garbs from luxury brands like Balenciaga, Prada, and so on. Meta encourages the buyers to personalize the avatar that truly expresses themselves in the most unique way.
Nikeland on Roblox
The sportswear company, Nike collaborated with gaming company Roblox to create ‘Nikeland’. It’s a metaverse world, where players can dress in the brand’s sneakers and apparel. modeled after the company’s buildings, players can play a wide range of games from tag to dodgeball. Free for now with about 7 million users, Nike is on its way to creating sporting events and mini-games in relation to the major events that happen in the real world.
Gucci’s Crypto Payments
Embracing the Web3 developments, Gucci is now accepting payments in cryptocurrency in some of its stores in the United States. Very unusual in the luxury industry,it is quick to adapt itself to the new technological trends of NFTs. Through a QR code, buyers can make payments from their crypto wallets.
NFT Keys as Passes
In the recent New York Fashion Week, the non-fungible tokens are being used in a unique way- as key passes. The payments company, Afterpay in partnership with fashion designers, created NFT keys that attendees can use to access real-world NYFW. In addition, the owners of these keys can also avail of exclusive benefits like limited edition products.
Fashion is emerging more than a simple need in the real world to artistic and personal expression in the metaverse
What will this mean for the Brands in 2023?
A Creative Economy
While the experience economy resulted in the creation of the metaverse, a new economy was birthed by the former. The latest economy is called the ‘creative economy’ where everything is driven by creativity and deep thoughts. With the virtual world, brands can create a strong transaction of ideas between the buyers and them, all while setting up a new stream of revenue.
Highly flexible, brands can modify outfits while showcasing them on digital fashion models. In addition, they will experience more virtual sales in 2023, exceeding the value of the individual piece in real life. In short, the creative economy is one of the biggest 2023 fashion trends.
The Shift of Stores into the Gaming World
The interesting 2023 fashion trend is that more brands will set up their own stores inside of games with customizable avatars. This is more likely to happen because of two reasons. One is the high feasibility of dressing up the game characters with digital costumes. Anything created on computers can be easily integrated into games, hence brands can open up their storefronts in their world.
The second reason behind this new trend is the buying power shift from millennials to Gen Z. The tech-savvy generation, in addition, to being obsessed with self-expression, spends most of the time in the gaming realm. So, brand stores will have more exposure when they have a strong presence in this world with fun and energy.
NFTs as new Tokens of Legacy
In the early months of 2022, NFTs emerged as digital art collectibles, allowing artists to connect with the audience worldwide. But Tommy Hilfiger’s launch of NFTs in the recent New York Fashion week added another layer of brand image to them. By tapping on NFC stickers plastered over the walls, attendees can create their crypto wallet and get their NFT that is featured Thomas Hilfiger himself with a polaroid camera in Warhol-style.
This NFT from Tommy Hilfiger perfectly blended two legacies – that of their own brand and the artist, Andy Warhol. Consequently, this gives a new leeway on how NFTs in the metaverse can evolve into a new future fashion trend. So, it can be expected that more brands will utilize digital tokens as a homage to their heritage.
Into Everyday Life
Another fashion trend in 2023 is that it will slowly insert itself into the everyday lives of buyers. This can be explained in the conjunction with the changes brought in by the recent pandemic. As everything became the norm, humans began to interact virtually through online meetings and classrooms. While everyone thought this might be a one-time trend, surveys all over the world say the other.
These virtual interactions will wedge themselves with face-to-face conversations. That is to say, from now, the communications will all be hybrid. Hence, arises the need for digital identity and social presence. To fully represent ourselves in virtual spaces, buyers will dress their avatars as per daily needs, increasing the pressure on brands to produce virtual outfits.
Sustainability with Virtuality
Perhaps the very needed change comes in the form of the 2023 fashion trend in the industry – Sustainability. As much as brands are trying their best to curb emissions, their efforts aren’t really matching up with the pace of climate change. This turning point came in the digital fashion allowing the industry to improve its sustainability metrics.
Despite the emissions released by metaverse creation, virtual garbs have the potential to satiate consumers’ desires without actually producing them. Amid this trend, the industry can finally slow down its raw materials supply, and have more resources to better process waste.
In other words, the virtuality in the metaverse also brings its support to sustainability.
Digital clothes displayed on virtual models will be traded as NFTs giving more exposure to the artist and a sense of achievement to the buyers.
2023 Major Trend: Fashion with Fun
Like the internet, the metaverse is set to be the game-changer when it comes to how people will consume fashion. Although intangible in nature, virtual fashion displayed on digital models has its own charm which leaves buyers wanting more. Brands are leaving no creative ways in bringing this innovative way of dressing to the audience through metaverse and related platforms.
Gazing over the current and 2023 potential trends, it seems fashion is going to be more fun ahead. With embedded VR tours, mini-games, and dressing up your avatar, the fun is endless. If you want to improve your customer experience through digital fashion, we’re always here to help you.
With our state-of-art technology and creative minds, we’ll bring out the best of your brands into the audience. Connect with us today!
