VIRTUAL SCAPE

virtualscape: fashion goes digital.

Trend Publication.

Alex Masson.

F A S H I O N V E N T U R E S V I R T U A L As our world continues to increasingly digitalise and globalise, it’s time for fashion to pass over into a new frontier: virtual. The dawn of Gen Z becoming the dominant consumers in the market is fast approaching, a generation more susceptible to digital than any other. Having been looking at screens since birth, Gen Z has lived within a postmodern world where references and industries are constantly blending and evolving – and the fashion sector needs to follow suit. Several forward-thinking fashion houses have already tested the waters with virtual ventures, notably Louis Vuitton, collaborating with eSports giant League of Legends in 2019. The video game market is expanding rapidly, expected to grow to a $300billion by 2025, largely due to the increasing popularity of the eSports genre. In context, League of Legends has 111 million active users, with 8 million players online at any given time across the globe. for Louis Vuitton by providing them a large platform amongst their target consumer base.

Fashion venturing onto virtual platforms is undeniably breaking the status quo, but allows for unprecedented possibilities for creative ventures, even revolutionising an entire industry. Gaming and fashion may never become synonymous, but making use of a platform that the entire next generation of consumers can relate to, whether that be through direct involvement or pop-cultural presence, will looking forward, and appropriating retro gaming themes and concepts in fashion ventures will actively collaborations across genres and the pastiche blending of cultures and industries is favourable, and often essential, to stay afloat, appealing and relevant in a continually saturated market.

Expect to see the worlds of gaming and fashion collide. Whether collaborating digitally with gaming brands, referencing them on the catwalk, or taking the plunge into the market of modern-day eSports utility wares, this is the space to watch.

Ready, Player One? Fashion is about to enter the next dimension.

All

points

1.

east.

Video games found their place in mainstream society in the 1970’s in the form of twodimensional arcade formats, followed by home consoles in the 1980’s, both of which motifs that are still relevant today. Through the 1990s, home consoles developed into handhelds, and concepts such as graphics, gameplay, and storylines all improved and innovated. At the present day, the gaming market is so diverse, catering to all ages, genders, cultures and languages, existing across both console and online platforms.

Certain characters present in long-running video game franchises are culturally iconic and immediately recognisable in most developed countries around the globe, and other franchises have a cult following similar to that of what would have been a musically or politically-orientated subculture a few decades ago. Several brands and consoles – think Nintendo or Sony. Brands once existing on the scope of computer technology, such as the Xbox console since 2001.

So why should fashion brands tap into this?

Video games are used on a tremendous scale.

The advent of mobile gaming apps and online multiplayer modes has integrated itself into daily life for a large market of consumers; in fact, inapp purchases and other downloadable content from the mobile and online gaming sector generated a revenue of $4billion out of gaming’s total $30billion 2018 revenue. Every person exposed to technology is exposed to gaming to some degree. It is literally everywhere, obvious or not. Nintendo used to make playing cards, and maybe in future, it might be said that Louis Vuitton once made physical clothes and luggage.

The current global centre for gaming, and particularly

success of gaming platforms in countries such as China effective from 1980-2016. Due to lonliness, youth often sought out entertainment and communities online particularly via gaming and eSports platforms.

a new influence.

In contrast to Western society, in China and South Korea, video game and eSports culture is mainstream and extremely popular.

Becoming an eSports star is a legitimate and sought after career path. Championship eSports players have fame and monetary success relative to that of physical sports stars in Europe and the US, comprising of young, trendy and attractive individuals with the wealth and status to become luxury consumers, henceforth introducing their followers - the next generation of Asian consumers - to the luxury market, being heavily influenced by streetwear styles that are already focal in youth culture and amongst many major fashion players.

As a means of accessing hard-to-reach target markets in other areas of the globe, utilising platforms such as virtual, gaming and eSports is a way to broaden consumer base and generate mass appeal. eSports is a rapidly expanding industry, and is at the forefront of youth culture in developing countries worldwide. What once was a niche interest has now become a global investment opportunity, noticed by conglomerates, celebrities, and even universities.

Harnessing such platforms, references, and visual aesthetics is necessary to appeal to the next generation of consumers.

It is well known that across most industries, particularly the luxury fashion sector, Asia is the newest and most appealing market of consumers to target, with an increasing hunger for luxury, and increasing disposable income. Employing gaming, and eSports particularly as an access extent, and there are a multitude of ways to strategize this, such as direct collaborations on virtual platforms, sponsorships of events, or selling fashion that is referential of eSports or gaming icons.

"League of legends has an average of 8million p l a y e r s online at any given time, and an annual revenue of $1.4billion." Business Insider

The most recent and most notable collaboration of all in the scope of gaming and fashion is still ongoing. Louis Vuitton have announced a partnership with eSports giant League of Legends, the largest platform in the present day. The sponsorship covers the annual championship known as the “Summoner’s Cup”, with a large cash sum and bespoke trophy and case for the winning team. This will place Louis Vuitton in the spotlight of a pop-culture phenomenon amongst youth in their target market, broadening company reach. The same championships received global viewings of over 500 million in 2018.

Alongside this, LV are releasing both physical and virtual apparel in a capsule collection, collaboration between gaming and luxury sectors, particularly involving virtual purchases.

Several brands existing within the luxury realm have the mobile gaming genre, as a way to expand reach and appeal to Gen Z consumers around the globe. Examples temporary app created by Dior as a promotional campaign for a flagship store opening in Shanghai in 2019.

The continual monetary and cultural expansion of the eSports genre is predicted to grow even further over the upcoming years.

Examples of an increased global interest in the genre in terms of mainstream promotion is beginning to show in various areas. eSports is beginning to attain the general respect and acclaim relative to physical sports, with media coverage and investment increasing also. Several eSports stadiums are beginning to appear across the globe, several already existing in the USA, as well as a designated eSports training city in Hangzhou, China. It has been forecasted that eSports may in future become a part of the Olympics.

Educational investment in eSports is also increasing, with several US universities already providing scholarship programs for gaming, giving real credibility to what was once a hobby. Furthermore, the emergence of eSports into mainstream popular culture will be fuelled further by celebrity investments, from the likes of Will Smith and Drake, the latter of which will likely introduce the genre to fans of both music and streetwear culture, broadening the consumer base and making ties with the music and fashion industries.

2.

development of esports apparel by mainstream brands, nike adidas, kswiss, puma , kappa etc... all of these brands are also synonymous with streetwear!! blending of youth cultures continues.

2.

esports apparel.

Right: The K-Swiss eSports shoe and two versions of the Nike X PlayStation shoe.

Several mainstream fashion and sports apparel conglomerates have already begun focusing their attention towards the eSports genre, particularly Adidas, Puma and Nike, consisting of sponsorships and brand collaborations with eSports teams, similar to that of football leagues in the UK. Collaborations have existed between gaming platforms and sports apparel brands in the past, such as Nike collaborating with PlayStation in the 2000s.

is a recent release by American sportswear brand K-Swiss, who have designed and and gaming. Such attention paid towards the genre in this way provides further credibility, and many apparel brands are likely to follow suit soon after as a means of dominating an expanding, but yet relatively untouched, gap in the market.

Left: Examples of eSports jerseys as collaborations between Nike and several teams.

video games arcade nostalgia

The popularity of the eSports genre will result in what can be described as the eSports style, likely a blend of streetwear, utility and athleisure styles players are already adopting such styles, creating comfortable, fashionable, and futuristic-pioneering garments.

Both luxury and mass-market sectors are likely to utilise the trend, developing on existing styles, materials and colour schemes. The general market for the eSports style will be pre-existing consumers of streetwear, as well as those influenced in turn by the eSports gaming genre itself.

swatches

3. retrofuturism.

and Gen Z consumers consistently appreciate retro themes and nostalgia, in digital design, branding and apparel. The new retro is focal on digital themes and styles from the 1990s and 2000s. Playing with references and themes such as old technology, video games, and colour palettes is a means of appealing to the market.

Postmodernism has become “Retro-Futurism”, looking backwards as a means of looking forwards as fashion consistently adapts, and playing on child-like references in a fashionable yet fun way.

Fashion and design styles from the early 2000s are in resurgence and will continue to do so, similar to the 90’s revival in the 2010s. Known as the Y2K aesthetic, this style is focal on digital futuristic themes, use of minimalism and metallics, playing with now-defunct technologies such as DVDs and CDs, gaming and virtual references from the era alongside heavy garish graphics.

y2k aesthetic

player one.

The Player One style is focal on retro colour schemes and branding, making use of arcade-style aesthetics and video game motifs. Garments will be relative to that of a gaming player or character, making use of bold colours, fonts, and graphic pieces that appeal to vibrant youth-wear and streetwear buyers.

Vaporwave.

Long-running internet graphic art style, Vaporwave, will continue to become intertwined with fashion. Focused on retro-digital themes, relative to that of 1990s computer programmes and video games, Vaporwave makes a use of subtle neon colour palettes, 80s, 90s and 00s computer graphics and advertising motifs as a means of creating a postmodern, humorous and aesthetically pleasing take on fashion and retro.

4.

digital futures and virtualisation.

Far Left: Hajime Sorayama’s Fashion Androids.

Fashion will continue to venture into futurism, taking inspiration from modern digital themes, colours and formats. Use of neon and metallics as a means of referencing digitalised and virtual art styles, as well as the increased use of robots, androids, or computerised models as means of selling a garment to consumers.

The Digital Look.

Luxury and runway fashion will make an increased utilisation of digital-look materials, especially holographic and metallics. Garment design, concept, shape, and promotion will be focal on futurism and virtual themes, taking inspiration from space-age ideas combined with enhanced streetwear core design.

Left and Above: Digital clothing designs from The Fabricant.

Digital Fashion.

Inspired by the eSports genre and character-customisation games such as Fortnite, digital-only fashion is beginning to emerge, with several brands dedicated to this cause, and other major fashion players, such as Louis Vuitton and League of Legends, experimenting with the concept. Digital fashion is a concept forecasted to increase in popularity. Despite the lack of a physical garment, development of such projects allows for boundless possibilities in design, with no limits involving complexity or basic physics.

as it is, wholly created digitally with no materials required.

In the fast-fashion era this could prove a huge change in consumer habits, generating no waste whatsoever, and increasing design capabilities and aesthetics to an unprecedented degree. However, consumers of digital fashion will likely only be younger markets, or those with a focus on social media, as this is the only way the garments will be seen on the consumer at all.

If digital fashion does indeed succeed, it could be the antithesis force against the fast -fashion issue on a global design for the needs of an evolving world.

Right: The Fabricant’s virtual dress, which sold for

Left and Below: Digital Clothing designs created

by Carlings.

influencer culture to increase consumer base. Digital clothing can be edited directly on to an image of a focus on social media usage. The garment will cost little to produce, but can be charged a small fee to purchase, allowing for innvoative and waste-free design that is essentially limitless.

virtual models.

Digital models are also expected to become increasingly popular, with several already having landed large advertising campaigns from the likes of Calvin Klein and Ellesse. Virtual models are likely to become celebrities and pop-cultural icons themselves in future, developing set personalities, personal styles, and even celebrity acquaintances.

Left: Virtual model Shudu.

Virtual store environments.

Left and Above: Nike’s Air 720 pop-up virtual store.

The development of virtual three-dimensional store environments will increase as online shopping habits also continue to do so. The e-retail experience must become more engaging and immersive as a way to develop itself, in future taking on inspiration from virtual reality technologies and continuing to push virtual experiences further.