by helene.goedl -

06 | NFTs, Blockchain Technology and Virtual Ownership in Digital Fashion 

In the sphere of digital fashion, items are sometimes being sold as NFTs, providing a sense of ownership and authenticity in the digital space. Buyers can use these NFTs to showcase and trade their virtual fashion items within specific platforms. This is especially interesting because it brings up discussions around the value of digital products in general, the merit of owning a purely virtual item and the relationship to the analogue equivalent of attributing value to fashion items. An interesting point of discussion for this topic is also the relationship between original fashion pieces and fake products or counterfeit items in the real world and in digital space. 

The blockchain technology that forms the basis for NFTs (Nonfungible tokens) has apparently solved an issue which many purely digital products faced before – the assertion and definition of exclusive ownership. Although there is still room for debate on this issue – which might reach back to fundamental questions on reproducibility of artworks raised as far back as Walter Benjamin’s seminal text „The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility” – blockchain technology has, at least in concept, provided a means of determining digital ownership. In consequence, this has enabled the creators of digital products to transfer a quality into digital space which is essential to the fashion market – exclusivity. The merit and necessity of this quality can and should debated, not only in digital, but also in traditional fashion. While the basis for exclusivity in traditional fashion was once rooted in the craftswomanship and quality of materials that went into producing a garment, an even superficial examination of current fashion practices shows that exclusivity today is much more linked to intangible – one might even say, imaginary – values such as brand names. And so the question of what gives a fashion item its ultimate value remains relevant for both traditional and digital fashion. 

While there can be debate about the organic rarity of source materials and the limited availability that lead to real life fashion items’ exclusivity due to fabric or craftswomanship limitations, the limitations on producibility in the digital space are debatably always artificially imposed. Nothing stops a fashion brand from rendering a million models of the same item as opposed to only one. And even in the case of only producing one original digital piece, we must enter into the long running discussion of what constitutes the digital original and what it means to have a unique and original piece that is purely digitally produced. The definition of the term “original” according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary reads “a document, work of art, etc. produced for the first time, from which copies are later made”.1

In the digital world however, it is often impossible to determine where and when an artwork or digital product was first created or published. Metadata can be altered and digital copies can be made without much skill or effort by people looking to use or profit from other creator’s digital products as their property. 

Further research and writing into this aspect of digital fashion, as demonstrated in the above text, therefore has many routes and paths it could follow. Questions of ownership, exclusivity and originality all warrant their own explorations and provide ample material for further discussion. Additionally, technical and legal aspects can be investigated in more detail to further discuss the use of NFT and blockchain technology in digital fashion.

References:

1 The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. “Original” (Noun). https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/original_2

Further reading: 

Bethan Alexander & Niccolò Bellandi (2022) Limited or Limitless? Exploring the Potential of NFTs on Value Creation in Luxury Fashion, Fashion Practice, 14:3, 376-400. DOI: 10.1080/17569370.2022.2118969

Joy, A., Zhu, Y., Peña, C., & Brouard, M. (2022). Digital future of luxury brands: Metaverse, digital fashion, and non-fungible tokens. Strategic Change, 31(3), 337–343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2502

by helene.goedl -

05 | Potentials and Problems in Digital Fashion for Video Games

In the gaming and virtual reality space, digital fashion is gaining popularity as a way for users to customise the appearance of their avatars. In this context, the word “avatar” refers to the player’s representation figure in the game. Players can purchase or earn virtual clothing items to enhance the aesthetics of their digital personas. These virtual clothing items are commonly referred to as “skins”. The phenomenon of skins and their importance in certain video games opens up a space of opportunities for digital fashion design. The following article will discuss some relevant terms and point out topics of interest for further research into this aspect of digital fashion design. 

In order to provide a basis for the further discussion, we must begin with a definition of the term “skin” in the context of video games. The website “Engaged Family Gaming” offers the following explanation: 

“A “skin” is a kind of item that players can acquire in games. They change the appearance of the players avatar (the character on the screen that represents the player). Skins can be as simple as a change in color scheme (often referred to as a Palette Swap), or as complex as a new avatar with different lighting effects and animations. Most companies are very careful to make sure these skins don’t effect [sic] the actual gameplay though. The characters will still play the same. They will just look different doing so.”1

According to this definition, the “skin” in a video game therefore does not only refer to an avatars clothing but can include the entire appearance of the figure. This fact alone opens up a discussion on the extent to which digital fashion design encompasses design decisions that go beyond the clothing choices of digital avatars. In the traditional fashion world, the appearance of models is often viewed as an influential factor on the presentation of garments in fashion shows and photo shootings. Although the vast extent to which a digital avatar can be customised and shaped does not compare to the possibilities present in working with actual human beings, an argument can be made that this is merely an extension and an improvement that the digital space offers for fashion designers when it comes to presenting their garment creations. Certainly, this way of viewing the issue opens up a discussion on the importance of the body in fashion design, and along with this also raises questions of ethics and body image politics which the present article does not have the capacity to elaborate on. It should however be noted at this point that the malleability of digital bodies is an interesting topic for further research and writing which is hereby pointed out. 

Another definition on the website videogames.org.au describes skins as follows: 

“A skin changes the look of an item in a video game. For example: the same gun in a game can have different ‘skins’. The skins make the gun look differently.  Skins are either earned within a video game or they can be purchased in the game’s store. Skins are purely cosmetic so they don’t change the gameplay or they don’t make you a better player. Some skins are rarer than others. So players with a rarer skin gets a certain recognition. Quite similar to branding on clothes.”2

Consequently, skins also extend to the appearance of items in the game. This extends the design possibilities to accessories and further items, which might be of interest for digital fashion designers. 

The above definition also brings up an interesting aspect of skins in mentioning that they can be earned or purchased and that some skins are rarer than others, comparing the value of certain skins to branded clothing. Consequently, this opens up a discussion on a potentially problematic side of skins – the practice of “skin betting”. The article on videogames.org.au discusses this problem by further explaining how skin betting works and affects game players. 

“Your child plays a game and purchases or wins some skins. The skins are held in a virtual wallet. The player takes their wallet to a different website. This website offers gambling and betting games. The player bets/gambles using skins as their tokens. The skins won can be traded for real money in some games.”2

To outsiders who are not familiar with the market of video games in the present day, this might appear as a niche issue. But the market for skin betting is large and growing. videogames.org.au explains that a further problem with the practice is that

“Skin betting is not governed by gambling law because skins are not considered to be ‘real money’ ”2

The article and other references on the topic can serve as a starting point for further explorations of this issue in the digital fashion design market. Although it might not be a direct design problem, the parallels to traditional fashion and the value assignments to certain items certainly are worth discussing in depth. It may also be worth investigating parallel practices in traditional fashion, such as counterfeiting and black market trade. 

References:

1 Duetzmann, Stephen  (2020, October 2). Video game definition of the week: “skins”. Engaged Family Gaming. https://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/video-game-definition-of-the-week-skins/. 

2 Videogames.org.au. Skins and Skin Betting. https://www.videogames.org.au/skin-betting/#:~:text=Skins%20are%20purely%20cosmetic%20so,similar%20to%20branding%20on%20clothes.

Further reading:

Berrin Beasley & Tracy Collins Standley (2002) Shirts vs. Skins: Clothing as an Indicator of Gender Role Stereotyping in Video Games, Mass Communication and Society, 5:3, 279-293, DOI: 10.1207/S15327825MCS0503_3

Reza, A., Chu, S., Khan, Z., Nedd, A., Castillo, A., Gardner, D. (2019). Skins for Sale: Linking Player Identity, Representation, and Purchasing Practices. In: Taylor, N., Christian-Lamb, C., Martin, M., Nardi, B. (eds) Information in Contemporary Society. iConference 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11420. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15742-5_11

by helene.goedl -

04 | Tracing the History of Digital Fashion

Although digital fashion design has been around for years, there are still many aspects of this new design discipline that are difficult to trace and define. One of these aspects it the history and origin of digital fashion as an independent category. This blogpost therefore, will present several potential origin points of the discipline and discuss challenges and opportunities for further writing on this facet of digital fashion.

A review of the current literature on digital fashion reveals that a universal origin point of digital fashion has not yet been agreed on. One could postulate various reasons for this. Essentially however, the issue can be condensed in the fact that digital fashion design is still not clearly separated from the disciplines it originates from or even its analog counterpart, which it has seemingly become a subcategory of in the minds of people engaging with it today. A possible method for determining the historical origins of digital fashion is to trace its roots in other design fields which have enabled or influenced it and from which it has developed. Among these design fields are undoubtably video game design and 3D modelling. Furthermore, it might be argued that the general basis for digital clothing design also has origins in traditional 2D animation and arguably also digital material simulation.

Scholarly research has yet to acquaint itself with the rapid contemporary developments in the field of digital fashion design. The fast paced nature of technological innovations and advancements makes it challenging for researchers in the field to draw tangible conclusions on the guiding questions the young discipline faces. In reading fashion industry publications and consulting online resources, one is frequently under the impression that digital fashion manifested out of thin air several years ago and has since been quickly expanding and gaining importance in the fashion sphere. 

This status quo on the history of digital fashion suggests that for further research into the topic, a history of digital fashion needs to be developed. As a fundamental step to this endeavour, a solid definition of the discipline should be established. If we accept a definition along the lines of Doyle 2022 which reads „Digital fashion is clothing that is not physically manufactured, including game skins, avatar clothing and Non-fungible tokens (NFT)”1 , we must accommodate a large variety of digitally existent clothing products into the term “digital fashion”. A more narrow definition might serve better when it comes to developing a clear history, but would potentially exclude interesting liminal and marginal case studies. It might further be useful to delineate digital fashion from traditional analog fashion by developing definitions of the two fields that point out their overlaps as well as their differences. 

To close this brief exploration of digital fashion design history, three main conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, the current literature on digital fashion does not reveal a comprehensive account of the discipline’s origin and history. Secondly, an effort to develop such a history could endeavour an investigation into the relevant disciplines which digital fashion design emerged from. Thirdly, the exploration of the disciplines history requires a working definition of digital fashion in order to provide a solid basis for further investigations into the subject.

References:

1 Doyle, Megan. (2022, March 2). Could digital fashion be an eco-friendly replacement for fast fashion? Ecocult. https://ecocult.com/digital-virtual-fashion-sustainability/.

by helene.goedl -

03 | Digital Fashion – Topic Overview

Digital fashion refers to clothing and accessories that exist purely in the digital realm, created using computer-generated imagery (CGI) and 3D modelling techniques. It combines elements of fashion, technology, and art to create virtual garments that can be worn and showcased in digital spaces, such as virtual reality (VR) environments, online gaming platforms, and social media. Because of these factors, digital fashion holds great potential for an interdisciplinary case study in the field of media design. It combines factors from different disciplines and intersects in a way that presents both enormous potential and considerable challenges in the design process. Over the next blog entries, I will present several factors of digital fashion that are relevant and interesting to investigate in a further research project. This blog entry presents a brief topic overview to establish some of the main areas of the topic.

History

As an introductory entry, it will be interesting to take a closer look at the history of digital fashion. Arguably, the core concept of digital fashion has existed since the development of digital animation and computer games. These two areas have provided the most opportunities to showcase digitally designed and created garments. In a future blog entry, the history of digital fashion will be revisited in more detail. 

Digital Fashion for Avatars 

In the gaming and virtual reality space, digital fashion is gaining popularity as a way for users to customize the appearance of their avatars. Players can purchase or earn virtual clothing items to enhance the aesthetics of their digital personas.

Collaborations and Digital Fashion Brands

Traditional fashion brands are starting to collaborate with digital artists and designers to create limited-edition virtual collections. Some brands are also emerging specifically as digital fashion entities, focusing on creating unique and innovative digital clothing. Some of the collaboration projects also tie in with the previous topic as they have taken place in the video game sphere. Most notably, the 2021 collaboration between luxury fashion brand Balenciaga and the gaming studio Epic Games for the popular game Fortnite has made waves in the business. A future blog entry will explore said collaboration in more detail as a case study.

Virtual Fashion Shows

Designers are increasingly exploring the possibilities of presenting their collections through virtual fashion shows. These events take place in digital environments, allowing for unique and immersive presentations that go beyond the constraints of traditional runway shows. This has gained relevance especially in the pandemic years and will be looked at in more detail, with a special focus on differences in potential between real life and virtual fashion shows and what the introduction of the new possibilities could mean for the fashion industry in the future.

Sustainability

Digital fashion is often touted as a more sustainable alternative to traditional fashion. Since there is no physical production involved, there is no need for raw materials, manufacturing, or shipping, potentially reducing the environmental impact associated with the fashion industry. At the same time, the discussion around digital products and their sustainability is a point of contention on its own, since the ever growing need for larger server farms, computers and their energy consumption need to be weighed against traditional forms of production. 

NFTs and Digital Ownership

Some digital fashion items are being sold as NFTs, providing a sense of ownership and authenticity in the digital space. Buyers can use these NFTs to showcase and trade their virtual fashion items within specific platforms. This is especially interesting because it brings up discussions around the value of digital products in general, the merit of owning a purely virtual item and the relationship to the analogue equivalent of attributing value to fashion items. An intersting point of discussion for this topic is also the relationship between original fashion pieces and fake products or counterfeit items in the real world and in digital space.

Augmented Reality (AR) Fashion

AR technology allows users to superimpose digital clothing onto their real-world surroundings through smartphone apps or AR glasses. This enables users to experiment with different looks without physically trying on clothes. This also ties in with the previous topic of digital ownership and how this might be handled in AR spaces.

3D Modelling for Fashion Design

Digital fashion designers is mainly done in 3D modelling software to create detailed and realistic virtual garments. This process enables them to experiment with unconventional materials, shapes, and designs that may be challenging or impossible to produce in the physical world. A closer exploration of material qualities and possibilities in digital space will be continued in its own blog post. 

Digital fashion is a dynamic and evolving field that continues to push the boundaries of creativity and technology. As technology advances, we can expect to see even more integration of digital fashion into our virtual and augmented reality experiences.