Metaverse Fashion Week: Digital’s New Era?
Metaverse platform, Decentraland hosted the second annual Metaverse Fashion Week 2.0 between March 28th – 31st 2023. MA Luxury Brand Strategy & Business student Kevin De Silva reports on the boundaries between phygital spaces and the opportunities this has for digital fashion and retail today.
Metaverse Fashion Week 2023
Metaverse Fashion Week 2023 is a milestone event in the global fashion industry. Luxury fashion and digital-native brands such as: Adidas, Coach, Diesel, and Tommy Hilfiger showcased their highly anticipated wearable collections, digital spaces, and their breakthrough activations during the eventful week.
Adidas Virtual Gear Collection
Adidas hosted their fashion show on 29th March 2023 for their dedicated “streetwear and retail day.” Additionally, Adidas hosted an immersive experience where users were able to try on the Virtual Gear collection, which was launched in November.
Holders of Adidas’ Virtual Gear non-fungible token (NFT) collection were able to wear their pieces in Decentraland. Not only this, Adidas also limited gifted 5000 Decentraland wearable editions of its renowned Wallrunner jacket, in a blood orange exclusive colour. The main value of Adidas was their experience and the opportunities the metaverse allowed them to present wearables in a digital, interactive fashion space.
“The Adidas Virtual Gear collection was designed to be the highest form of identity – both as a garment you own forever, authenticated on blockchain, and as a style-credible wearable for your alternative lifestyle as an avatar.” – Erika Wykes-Sneyd, Vice President of Adidas’s Three Stripes Studio.
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Coach’s Pop Up Party
Coach and Metaverse Fashion Week represent the intersection of the fashion industry and the digital world. The partnership aims to bring the Coach brand to a new level of engagement and accessibility by tapping into the growing popularity of virtual environments.
Coach’s Decentraland pop-up party provided a unique experience, blurring the lines between fashion and virtual reality. Visitors also had the opportunity to win digital wearables. The event featured five artists promoting self-expression in a Tabby bag-shaped venue. Featured artists included Shxpir, Suki Violet, Sarah Ann Banks, Simone, and Reed + Radar. By celebrating individuality and self-expression, Coach’s aim is to pave the new era of fashion and virtual reality experiences.
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Tommy Hilfiger Spring 2022 Collection in Decentraland
Tommy Hilfiger allowed fans to experience the brand’s classic American style in an exciting new way. Consumers on Decentraland were able to teleport their avatar to a virtual store and shop products from Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring 2022 collection – featuring a range of limited-edition products.
The items were able to be purchased as NFTs, which were redeemable for physical products. Offering four exclusive items in both digital and physical forms. Tommy Hilfiger’s participation in Decentraland’s Metaverse Fashion Week as it strengthened their mission statement for innovation. The brand is constantly pushing to provide unexpected experiences which engage fans in phygital worlds – whilst sharing their all-American heritage and aesthetic through the metaverse.
“Our digital foundation was in a great place, and we were able to evolve from there,” – Martijn Hagman, CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Global.
Metaverse Fashion Week by Decentraland
Metaverse Fashion Week by Decentraland has shown us the shift in digital technologies from digital fashion shows to virtual reality experiences. Including interactive installations which allow attendees to engage with fashion brands in new and exciting ways. This innovative approach to fashion is indicative of the industry’s evolving landscape. We are now entering into a new era of fashion; it is no doubt that designers and brands are looking for new ways to connect with consumers in an increasingly digitised world.
By Kevin De Silva – MA Luxury Brand Strategy & Business