Digital fashion is quickly growing in popularity. Not only does it offer customers an endless supply of clothes in any style, colour and design they may desire, but it is also being praised as one of the best ways to combat issues surrounding textile sustainability. After a year of designers being limited in how they can share their work due to Covid-19, digital fashion has truly been catapulted into the spotlight as a technology of the future.
The Fabricant is one of the leading forces paving a way for digital fashion. The company, which launched in 2018, is the first fashion house to exclusively design digital clothing lines. So far, the list of collaborators speaks highly of the success the house has achieved, with brands such as adidas, Tommy Hilfiger and Puma all working with them to produce digital lines. They also were the first to sell a digital garment in a blockchain transaction, which they rightly call ‘a landmark moment in digital-only couture’.
Other leading fashion houses have caught onto the largely unexplored possibilities that digital fashion could bring, with Gucci recently releasing a digital shoe design in collaboration with the Belarusian fashion-tech company, Wanna. Costing the customer only $9, digital fashion offers a designer tag at an extremely budget friendly price. The best part? Digital fashion designs such as these supposedly produce 30% less carbon dioxide than if they were physically made.
If you’re still sceptical as to whether trying on clothes that aren’t physically there can be anywhere near as fun as real clothes then don’t worry, you’re not alone. Despite the current excitement surrounding digital spaces, it is very unlikely that digital fashion will ever replace the human dimension to design. Instead, there are hopes that the technology will simply be another, eco-friendlier option for the consumer.
Digital fashion faces a steep uphill battle against critics who aren’t able to give up their love for physical fabric. However, it’s many benefits for the climate are undoubtedly an attractive trait and it’s likely that the space will only continue to grow in the future, so watch this space!