On Trend and Online - The case for Digital Fashion
The relationship between fashion and social media has become undeniably intertwined. From brand presence to content creation, social media has enormous potential to influence shoppers and fashionistas worldwide. As fast fashion continues to be a trend, an alternative has emerged: digital fashion has landed.
By Suzanne Flynn
October, 2021
What is digital fashion ?
Digital fashion is described as the application of digital technology in its many forms for the production and consumption of fashion apparel and services. (1)This means that when an item of digital clothing is bought, it isn’t in the form of a tangible product. A customer cannot try the item on, nor can they feel the product or alter it. This is because the article of clothing is a virtual product. For consumers, “wearing” digital clothes is similar to how filters on Snapchat and Instagram work. Customers upload a picture of themselves and the digital item of clothing is edited on, with the end product hopefully showing an outfit that doesn’t look like a bad photoshop attempt. In addition, there are no size constraints, as a garment doesn’t have to be made to order - only digitally created and photoshopped onto the model.(2) The result is “insta-worthy” outfits that don't require the manufacturing process and supply chain thread that regular clothes do. But who does this appeal to and what is the cultural context of the market for digital fashion?
Culture and Fashion - An interdependent relationship
Pop culture cannot be discussed in 2021 without mentioning social media. In the fashion world, Instagram and Pinterest are the most influential platforms for fashion brands to advertise and create. Vogue’s Instagram account boasts 34 million followers, fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger hold over 12 million followers each. Brands such as Pretty Little Thing, Boohoo and The North Face have Influencer ambassadors who receive free items of clothing in exchange for promotion on social media accounts and commission on clothes purchased under an affiliate link. Some of pop culture’s biggest icons of all time are known for their style even though their profession may have been unrelated, such as Madonna and David Beckham. This exemplifies how important fashion is in culture, regardless of the influence of social media. When someone dresses in a striking way, the world watches. In terms of digital fashion, social media platforms have opened up a new market, which makes the concept of non-physical clothing so appealing.
DressX is an example of a digital e-commerce outlet, founded by Daria Shapovalova, Natalia Modenova, and Julie Krasnienko . The company has over 1000 items from 80+ designers. Dress X’s website launched in July 2020, which, despite the global pandemic, had a positive impact on trade for the start-up. (7) Shapalova also remarked in an interview with L’Officiel that after 15 years in the traditional fashion industry, including the organisation of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Kyiv Ukraine in 2009, she wanted to contribute to a more sustainable, affordable, and digital future. (7) DressX’s business model can be summarised by looking at their slogan “Steal the show on your social media '' and “Don't shop less, shop digital fashion”.
Sustainability - Combating Fast Fashion
The environmental effects of the fast fashion industry have been hotly debated. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries globally, contributing more to climate change than the annual emissions of air travel and sea travel combined. (4) In addition, culturally, the “wear it once” (5) mentality means that people will wear an outfit once and never again - mainly because a picture of the outfit has already been posted on their social media platforms and repetitious content is considered undesirable. This leads to waste rather than recycling and re-wearing of clothes. Shapovalova of DressX (3) states that the creation of a digital piece of clothing generates 97% less CO2 emissions than the product of a physical garment.
Digital fashion provides an alternative for those who are inclined to wear an outfit once on a social media platform and never again. Rather than buying an outfit and contributing to the fast fashion craze, a digital wardrobe may offer a more eco-friendly alternative, although it is not a product that will appeal to most. The cheapest item on DressX currently is just under €18 for a t-shirt, while the most expensive costs over €1,100 for a “Tech couture” one piece suit. (6) There are two questions to be considered in relation to the workability of the digital fashion business model. Firstly, how willing consumers will be to pay for an item that is not physical and exists only as a digital commodity. Secondly, how the price range of digital fashion pieces will compete with websites such as “everythingfivepounds.com” and other low prices offered on Pretty Little Thing and similar retail outlets. It is submitted that it is unlikely the guise of eco-friendly digital fashion items will catch on for this reason within that age group, but this does not mean that digital fashion is not an option for the wider global market.
Conclusion
The fact social media has perpetrated an online environment which encourages the exposition of outfits and fashion from arguably unethical retailers, is telling of what we value in our culture today. Keeping up with appearances is a main component of social media culture, but the after-effects of this on the environment and e-commerce are worth considering. Shapovalova is confident that in 5-10 years time, every major retailer will have a digital fashion collection available to consumers. (3) This means that we could see a lot of consumers, who are usually fast fashion inclined, turning to digital fashion for a more eco-friendly way of expressing their style. Whether this will pan out in reality depends on whether the digital fashion trend will truly catch on and challenge public perception of the true meaning of fashion.
References
- https://www.speetrads.com/digital-fashion-the-advantages-of-3d-simulation/ Access October 20th
- https://youtu.be/qVfJheBp7Ys Access October 1st
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKBePuTOB6U Access 14th of October
- https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/a28166986/digital-fashion-dressing-virtually/ Access 20th of October
- https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/instagram-outfits-wear-once Access 28th of October
- https://dressx.com Access 1st of October
(https://www.lofficiel.cy/fashion/dressx-new-fashion-reality) Access November 2nd
Suzanne Flynn is an LLM Candidate in Law and Technology in Europe at Utrecht University. She graduated with a joint honours degree in Law and German from Trinity College Dublin in 2020. Suzanne is researching for Kittiwake with the Institute and is fluent in English and German.
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