Have you ever heard that the sky is the limit? A quick heads up… it’s not.
You don’t believe us? Well, take a look at what Crypto Fashion Week has done, and join us in witnessing the birth of a new era for the fashion industry.
This weeklong event has rounded up the most innovative collectives of designers, tech experts and artists to present their ground-breaking work. Their approach to fashion can only be described as futuristic, as it encompasses the boundless possibilities of the metaverse. The brilliance in Crypto fashion’s innovation shined through in their events, packed with expert speakers, impressive workshops, and mind-blowing showcases.
Although a digital show in itself is not a new concept (all Fashion Weeks this year have been exclusively digital), Crypto fashion has taken the ball out of the park. The virtual runway where the designers proudly presented their work, was more of a hallucinatory experience, than a catwalk. It truly felt like you had been abducted by hyper-aware, hyper-creative aliens, who magically decided to share their robot-like, otherworldly concepts with you.
Some of their speakers included Maghan McDowell, Vogue innovation editor and fashion-tech journalist, Amber Jae Slooten, Co-Founder & Creative Director at The Fabricant who “hasn’t actually sewn any clothes since 2014“, Kesh, a musician, designer and boundry-breaking visual artist, who has worked with the likes of Moschino, American Apparel, and SKIMS; and founder of DressX Natalia Modoneva, the first fashion brand to present 3D designers and digital collections. Perhaps the most exciting speaker of them all, will be tonight’s closing Q&A Livestream Q&A with Kuki Ai, “your AI BFF” (10pm CET).
“Digital Fashion is a computer generated representation of a garment or an accessory. It can be experienced across physical and digital touchpoints and traded as an asset. It can be worn on an avatar or tracked and layered on a real body.”
-Karina Nobbs, Co-Founder of The Dematerialised
During one of the workshops, “Does that dress come in digital?” Karina Nobbs, Co-Founder of The Dematerialised, delved further into the advantages of the use of Crypto fashion in today’s society, given that not only will it be key in the world of gaming and the metaverse, but it will also have a predominant role in social media interactions and in real life. AI technologies are already being refined to be used in physical and online stores so as to simplify and ease the experience of trying on clothes without sacrificing any comfort. If you can’t quite picture what that would look like, think of an evolved modern version of Cher’s electronic closet in 1995’s classic Clueless.
Among the advantages of this newly mined branched of the industry, sustainability stands out. With the current climate crisis, and the fashion industry being heavily criticised for its frequent textile squander, many of the designers, tech experts, and artists involved are advocating for digital fashion, not only as means to curb unsustainable practices, but as a solution which could flip the script as a whole.
Furthermore, this sustainable approach to luxury design is an arena where creatives can explore the fathomless depths of design, without the constrictions of the physical realm. In the cryptoworld, the boundaries are non-existent. Intertwining design and technology to an extent never before seen, a challenge any forward-thinking designer should be thrilled to take on. CFW assures us that this booming industry is “expected to be worth millions in the short term”.
