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 -

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.