18123_NSFM-mei-2021_Guts_Totaal_UK_1_Spreads_LR

Our traditional
notions of fashion
are changing.
Currently, we still
eagerly anticipate
new seasons, fabrics
and collections.
But make no mistake:
fashion as we know it
is about to go out
of fashion.
FASHION
IS GOING
OUT OF
FASHION!
Traditional industry
The fashion industry is one of the least sustainable industries
there is. A young generation is now working to make the industry
more sustainable.
That takes guts: despite its innovative image, the fashion industry is
still largely traditional and stuck in old habits. New collections are
still designed and produced for each season, although many of the
clothes never find their way to consumers.
The number of unsold and unused garments around the world runs
into the billions and continues to rise. Burning these mountains of
textile is the only way to get rid of them, which is obviously an
incredible waste. Naturally, we - the consumers - aren't free from
blame here. After all, we want to buy as many clothes as possible
at the lowest prices. And although manufacturing and logistics are
becoming more sustainable, there is still a demand for seasonal
physical dresses, trousers, jumpers, jackets, shirts and so on.
Sustainability now
Change is often a gradual process. The fashion
world may be conservative, but consumers also
need time to adjust to changes. We generally
still want to wear physical fashion. Although this
way of thinking is slowly changing, there are
certainly opportunities to become more
sustainable on the supply side, especially in the
production process. The initial design process is
already digital. Samples are created in digital
rather than physical format. This digital clothing
can also be used in digital photo shoots, which
no longer have to be held in tropical, exotic or
remote locations.
These developments represent a major
step towards greater sustainability.
designers and developers, allowing people
to present themselves in unique ways.
Various fashion brands are currently working
to develop digital fashion. The DressX fashion
platform is making digital clothing accessible.
The process is simple: you choose an item from
their collection, e-mail a photo of yourself and
receive a picture showing you 'wearing' the
garment. The result is ready for online use: fun,
unique and sustainable. According to DressX,
the production of a digital garment generates
97% less CO2 than a physical garment.
Familiarisation
through games
The benefits are clear, but how realistic is it all?
Digital fashion may still seem a long way off,
but nothing could be further from the truth.
This development has already been underway
for some time in the gaming world.
Many children play games in which the player
can buy extra clothes and accessories (this is
the earnings model behind many free games.
For example, Fortnite has reportedly already
earned over a billion dollars from in-game
purchases). That is to say, the young gamers
buy new virtual clothes. These clothes are
visible on their avatars - their personal online
character. This serves as a gateway: the games
familiarise children with the idea of digital
fashion and introduce the idea to their parents
and other adults.
A virtual Gucci
Fashion defines part of our identity.
The question is: does that actually require
physical garments? We increasingly present
ourselves in digital form through social media
and online conferencing. This development
offers great potential. Innovative designers,
entrepreneurs and software developers are now
developing something new: digital fashion.
Everything that isn't physical is digital.
Digital fashion offers designers a lot more
freedom to push the envelope than regular,
physical fashion, and they are eager to take the
opportunity. For example, Gucci introduced a
digital shoe in early 2021. The item was
affordably priced, at about €10. Consumers can
wear the shoes in games and show them off to
the world on Instagram and Snapchat.
Young Dutch designer Amber Jae Slooten had
already designed a flaming trainer - a purely
virtual model.
The next step
Finally, a glimpse of the future: the ultimate next
step will be a digital environment within the
physical environment, allowing us to experience
the world through augmented reality. This
technology will allow us to see the digital world
that surrounds us with special glasses or lenses.
We can then wear clothing we have designed
and downloaded, and have it projected onto us.
This offers the best of both worlds in that it is
sustainable and allows us to present an entirely
unique identity. A far-flung future? Definitely, and
there are no guarantees for success. However,
we must have the courage to look ahead and
do everything we can to make it happen.
The new generation
Young people tend to initiate changes and new
developments because they are more
innovative and adventurous. For example, we
already mentioned Amber Jae Slooten. She's a
real pioneer in terms of digital fashion and is
determined to cut down on waste. Slooten is
nothing if not bold. She used her not
inconsiderable powers of persuasion to
graduate (cum laude) from the Amsterdam
Fashion Institute with a 100% digital collection,
the first student to do so in the school's history.
This decision ultimately led her to become a
founding partner of digital fashion house
The Fabricant several years later. Her efforts
have certainly been successful so far: a growing
number of fashion brands are now eager to
innovate, in collaboration with Slooten and her
colleagues. The Fabricant also captured the
media's attention when they designed and
sold a €9,500 digital couture dress.
What are the options today?
The COVID pandemic has opened up growth
opportunities for digital fashion. We've become
accustomed to seeing people use a digital
background of an island or some other trendy
location during their online meetings on Zoom
or Microsoft Teams. Digital clothing is the
logical next step, especially as we come to
realise that we don't need as many clothes
when working from home. Success hinges on
quality. Practical experience has shown that the
emotive potential of fashion can also be
conveyed digitally. The clothing you wear online
should move and look the same way as your
physical clothes, which is now possible thanks
to the latest technical advances and talented
The benefits of
digital fashion
As Slooten sees it, you don't have to pollute the
world just because you want to look different
every day. Digital fashion barely requires any
raw materials in the way that physical clothing
does, doesn't rely on hundreds of thousands of
underpaid workers, and doesn't put any
logistical burden on the world around us.
Digital fashion stays beautiful, never wears out,
and offers the advantage that it can be easily
adjusted to fit anyone.
For a broader perspective, we listened to the News
Weekend broadcast of 3 April 2021 on NPO Radio1
and an episode of the Future Shock Pioneers podcast
by VPRO Tegenlicht of 3 May 2020.
nonstop
fresh/ 33