The metaverse is a hot topic right now. It’s got fashionistasall fired up, and Facebook’s new rebrand to Meta has put it on everyone’sradar. But what exactly is it, and how can you get involved?
The simple answer is that it's a place where the physical anddigital meet and blend. It has expanded from the gaming world. However, it’s not just confined to teenagers playing online games in their bedrooms. Gaming has become the leading form of entertainment, with 3 billion players - more than a third of the world’s population. Nearly half of these gamers are female. And, in what may come as a surprise to traditionalists, more people prefer to log on and play a game than watch TV or stream a series, and this is across all age ranges. In-game purchases are a big part of the culture, and currently, players spend more than $100 billion a year. Its implications for fashion arehuge: players' digital avatars love outfits as much as their physical selves - probably more, as it’s far more acceptable to wear something wild if you want to. Or just a branded hoody. Online, you can be who, or whatever you want. According to Morgan Stanley, the digital fashion market could reach $50 billion by 2030.
How does Facebook fit in to this?
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has recently re-branded his umbrella company Meta Platforms Inc, or Meta for short, and seeks to explore the metaverse alongside the users of existing technology. His vision for the future includes slipping on a pair of AR glasses or a headset of a morning then flipping through a rail of digital outfits, as well as changing your entire digital body for something more casual after work. Shopping is part of the experience, with these digital assets available to buy within the
world.
Image Source: Wikipedia
The term "metaverse" has existed for a long time, coined by author Neal Stephenson in "Snow Crash," his 1992 sci-fi novel. But this is definitely not a sci-fi scenario.
Most of us will have dipped a toe into digital transformations over the last few years. We might have begun with smoothing a selfie for Facebook or an Instagram photo filter, and progressed to fun live filters in a Zoom meeting - remember the lawyer who got stuck as a kitten for a virtual court case? The metaverse encompasses social media as well as games. It's your whole online world, on whatever platform that is.
What Are the Advantages?
Dressing up like this or buying extra accessories doesn’t enhance your performance or win you extra points (although in the lawyer's case it did win him brief notoriety). But it does allow you to let your creativity loose and have some fun. It also goes further. Many physically disabled or neurodiverse people find clothes physically uncomfortable and the notion of restrictive fabrics untenable. They’re not climbing into a corset and heels any time soon. This is not to say they wouldn’t like to if they could. Digital fashions give them this freedom.
Similarly, the LGBTQI+ community have found that with the metaverse, they are untethered by the body they were born into, allowing change and experimentation with gender or presentation without the critical eye of society or medical impediments. And you don’t just have to stick with just one body at a time - virtual fashion facilitates the creation of multiple selves. Anybody at all can express themselves.
So many people also have a greater community of friends and acquaintances online than offline that it also sometimes makes sense to put money into a garment that actually, more people will see. And it will never get ruined in the wash.
That being said, a growing trend is to cover all bases by matching online designs with a real-life twin. You can sit in front of your laptop in branded hoody made by Balenciaga for Fortnite, while your online avatar wears the same design.
A New Playground for Designers
Balenciaga isn’t the only brand that has found that digital is a winning formula. Previously, Moschino has collaborated with the Sims, Canada Goose has worked with Taobao Life, and Louis Vuitton has dressed the League of Legends, amongst many others. Nike recently filed requests with the US patent office to trademark its brand in the digital realm for several types of downloadable virtual goods and related services. Virtual fashion platform RTFKT Studios raised $8 million in funding recently. You can buy these virtual fashion offerings within the platform or separately. Or, you can design your own that perfectly fits your image.
Image Source: Business of Fashion
That's where we come in. At TG3D Studio, we continually invest in technology to refine the digital and 3D experience. If you want to make an avatar that looks like your IRL body, you can make an incredibly accurate digital “copy” of yourself by stepping into one of our digital scanners or using our new 3D mobile scan app through your iPhone. Of course, you can also make any other body you like for yourself with our software.
This digital avatar can then be imported into different scenarios, including our Virtual Try On Service. The VTO by Scanatic for Fashion is an upcoming addition to the TG3D Studio stable that allows you to keep your 3D scan and virtual closet in one place, along with your measurements, and easily try on your screen wear any time.
We also offer the software to design clothing for your digital selves - or other peoples'. The realistic fabric draping and accurate movement, along with authentic textures, means that you can dress in a practical A-Line skirt made of corduroy or a pair of trousers made from melting, multi-chromatic silver. These garments can fit any size, shape, gender or appearance.
Sound exciting? Have a look at our page on how to get started in 3D.