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Technology


IT’S NOT JUST GAMERS AND CRYPTO DUDES BUYING DIGITAL FASHION

Digital fashion has gone from a niche to an emerging industry. As technology and
knowledge improve, so does the data-backed understanding of what people want to
buy and wear virtually. Vogue Business gets the exclusive on a new survey.

By Maghan McDowell

February 28, 2022
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Virtue Worldwide
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newsletter, click here.

Metaverse style is taking shape.

On Roblox, people want digital casualwear alongside their rainbow flames, and
Fortnite fans are three times more likely to be Supreme fans compared to other
gamers; The Sims community, meanwhile, is far more interested in Converse and
Aeropostale. On top of that, people who buy digital fashion aren’t all gamers or
young male crypto enthusiasts; many are women, and many are interested in
shopping virtual stores.



New research in the Screenwear Paper, released today by Vice creative agency
Virtue Worldwide, working with digital fashion marketplace The Dematerialised,
sheds light on how people engage with personal style in the virtual realm. With
the broader fashion industry looking for opportunities in the metaverse, new
data shows not only what people want to wear in other worlds, but also how much
they are willing to pay, including data from virtual store creator Obsess, and
gaming platform analysis from Geeiq.



Digital fashion is a key component to how people shape virtual identities, and
while moving from niche to hotly hyped, experts say real uptake by brands
depends on separating fact from fantasy, especially as brands evaluate if
digital apparel can manifest into a potential revenue stream. The results show a
picture of an emerging consumer group that includes women who aren’t necessarily
fashion crypto collectors. Research also indicates that they expect that half
their wardrobe could be digital in five years.



“We have a lot of predictions and ideas around where things are heading, and now
we have the data to back it up,” says Morten Grubak, global executive creative
director of innovation at Virtue Worldwide, who created the sellout digital
fashion collection for Norwegian fashion retailer Carlings in 2018. The project
is regarded as one of the most influential early digital fashion collections,
and in 2019, won the highest prize at Cannes Lions.


WHO IS DIGITAL FASHION FOR?

The survey of 3,000 people across eight global markets (US, UK, Germany, Mexico,
Korea, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE) is notable for reaching people who didn’t
all identify as tech enthusiasts or early adopters. Half are millennials and the
others are Gen Z or Gen X, evenly split between men and women (with 1 per cent
non-binary). Of those surveyed, 82 per cent have already purchased some kind of
virtual item and one-third had already purchased digital fashion. One surprise
outtake: those interested in digital fashion are not just crypto enthusiasts; 47
per cent are not crypto users.

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To increase awareness of and access to digital fashion, Virtue and The
Dematerialised are offering three styles of non-gendered digital clothing NFTs
for free (in limited quantities).

Virtue Worldwide

“We deliberately surveyed people who are interested in a range of industries,
including media, fashion, tech, gaming, and art and culture, and identified
themselves as non-rejectors of new trends,” says Karinna Grant, co-CEO of The
Dematerialised.



Young men are dominating Web 3.0 purchases, according to recent research from
e-commerce tech provider Scalefast, who found 61 per cent of virtual goods or
NFT purchasers in the US (not limited to digital fashion) are male. More than
half are between 18 and 34 years.

That’s not the case for all platforms. Charles Hambro, CEO of Geeiq, which
analyses games and metaverse platforms based on social media followers, says
Zepeto’s social media audience is two-thirds female and 70 per cent are younger
than 24. Based on accounts Zepeto’s followers follow, they’re also interested in
luxury fashion brands. Geeiq research found that followers are 13 times more
likely to follow brands including Prada, Gucci, Fendi and Balenciaga. Fortnite’s
audience is 88 per cent male, and the majority is older than 24. (Each has
recently partnered with fashion brands to showcase and sell digital fashion.)
And, within Roblox’s various spaces, the audience can vary though 70 per cent
are 24 or younger, and the majority (70 per cent) are male. Aeropostale, Gap and
Forever21 are among the brands with the most affinity.

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Limited edition items have resonated on Roblox. Take both the Gucci Garden
experience and Ralph Lauren’s Winter Escape, where digital fashion was only
purchasable for a short period, but worn after the experience closed, and for
longer than their other accessories, says Christina Wootton, VP of brand
partnerships at Roblox.

Identity is the primary reason for buying digital fashion, Virtue’s survey
suggests: 70 per cent of people said they bought something to create or enhance
a digital identity, to express themself or to own something unique. Just like in
the physical world, the manifestation varies widely. Many believe digital
fashion can create more equitable spaces and experiences for plus-size shoppers,
those living with disabilities, and the LGBTQI+ community; in addition to
enabling people to explore new modes of identity unrestrained by traditional
roles, expectations and limits, according to the researchers. One-third of
respondents would purchase full outfits.


AVATARS: A REPLICA, OR VERY DIFFERENT IDENTITY 

Two different trends also emerge in digital fashion choices: people either work
hard to recreate an exact replica of their in-person identity, or they
participate in what Grubak calls “deep exploration,” a part of Gen Z’s
multidimensional identities. Sixty-four per cent of people said the ability to
personalise an item would influence a purchase decision. “They don’t have to be
the same person on Instagram as they are in real life. With the metaverse and
digital fashion, it’s not about age but a point of view and a perspective,” he
says.

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Top-selling Roblox digital fashion items in 2021 were casualwear, like T-shirts
and medical masks. “Some people choose to reflect their everyday appearance and
real-life wardrobe, while others want to experiment with bold looks and styles
they wouldn’t go for in the real world,” says Whooton. Fantastical items, like a
Rainbow Flame Aura Top, were also among the top 10 most sold 3D items last year.



Roblox has been diversifying and increasing the customisation options of its
avatars to enable greater personalisation.

Roblox

Playing with their avatars was popular: one in five daily active Roblox users
updated their avatars on any given day, including the body, face and
accessories. People who are established in the metaverse, meaning they own
cryptocurrency and have an avatar, are three times more likely to have purchased
more than 30 virtual goods, Virtue found.

“This level of engagement and interest in digital fashion and identity
represents a massive opportunity for brands that want to extend their presence
into the metaverse,” Wootton says. Fashion brands should test new product ideas
and or consider launching entire fashion lines to meet them, such as Tommy
Hilfiger partnering with Roblox creators to make new designs, Wootton says.

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Virtual real estate audience preferences differ widely, too. Decentraland and
The Sandbox are quite disparate: Decentraland attracts Hypebeast, Dazed Fashion
and YSL fans, Geeiq data suggests, while competitor The Sandbox is big among
those who like Boohoo, Burberry and H&M.



Differences in brand affinities are likely due to a combination of gameplay,
aesthetics and brands being present in the platform itself, Hambro says.


HOW MUCH DOES DIGITAL FASHION COST?

Online video games are still a key digital fashion shopping environment.
Sixty-two per cent of US consumers surveyed have purchased a digital item, such
as an accessory, skin or garment, for their avatar in a video game, according to
Obsess’s data. More than half said they would pay up to $49.99 for a virtual
product for their avatar to use within a video game. Sixty-six per cent of those
surveyed by Virtue would be prepared to pay the same or more for a virtual
fashion item.

Digital fashion and virtual spaces are expanding beyond games; Roblox doesn’t
even identify as a gaming platform. At the upcoming Metaverse Fashion Week, many
brands will be selling both digital and physical versions of designs, while
Gucci and Adidas are developing virtual real estate in The Sandbox with plans to
sell. “These shoppers have grown up with online videogames, esports and social
media and many of them see the emerging metaverse as a modern-day mall — a
connected virtual world where they can hang out, shop and socialise,” says Neha
Singh, Obsess CEO and founder.

Interested in branded metaverse worlds is high. Forty-one per cent of Gen Z and
38 per cent of millennials said they would be interested in exploring them, the
survey shows.

Digital fashion will become mainstream within five years, according to
two-thirds of those Virtue studied. It’s a big claim, but respondents expect
nearly half of their overall wardrobe to be digital in five years.

There are still some headwinds, including confusion or distrust, despite the
metaverse hype. More than half of respondents to Obsess’s survey said they are
familiar with the term “metaverse”, though 27 per cent mistakenly think it
refers to a technology owned by Meta. For those who haven’t purchased a virtual
good, 73 per cent are open to it but haven’t needed one or they don’t know
enough about them, Virtue found.

And, while for many, the concept of digital fashion is still quite niche, the
data shows that people are buying into it, Grubak says. “Sometimes the
disbelievers take more space than the people actually using it or buying it.”

Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.



More on this topic:

Designers explore the future of digital clothing

Race, gender and representation: The grey area of the metaverse

Shaping online avatars: Why our digital identities differ




digital fashiondigital clothingmetaverseavatarsCarlingsvirtual
clothingRobloxlatestvirtual storesgamingObsessdata


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