Introducing the forerunners of the new digital fashion industry. In this 16-part special, we list the most exciting designers, brands, and platforms that are helping our digital selves get dressed to progress. This is part 9.
The Dematerialised is a British market space for digital fashion. Karinna Grant, together with her co-founder Marjorie Hernandez, has pioneered the world of digital fashion and style with the help of their early adoption of blockchain technology. Collaborations are frequent, with a healthy mix of virtual fashion brands and designers like Tribute, RTFKT and The Fabricant, as well as physical brands like Soulland and Karl Lagerfeld.
— We describe digital fashion as a computer-generated representation of an accessory or a garment. This file can then be utilised in many different environments, not just digital, which is a common misconception. The most exciting thing for us is the layering between the digital and physical worlds. Right now we are very much excited about these metaverse platforms that keep popping up. We’re staying busy! says Grant.
Is it common for people to solely connect digital fashion with gaming?
— It is an easy explanation to give. I have an eleven-year-old son who gets just as excited, if not more, about his virtual pieces on Roblox than regular clothes. It truly matters for people on games to look good and have the right skins, but we think that this mentality is transitioning to other virtual platforms, says Hernandez, adding:
— Basically, the whole internet is the metaverse… Since the pandemic hit, we’ve been spending more time online and I think people will care about their presence there too.
The idea of a mainstream metaverse is very much in theory. When do you think it will become reality?
— Looking at blockchain-based metaverses like Decentraland, Cryptovoxels and Sandbox et cetera, you already see new communities forming new aesthetics and languages. In these worlds, people are connecting, trading, building. Looking at games like Fortnite, which I personally do consider a form of Metaverse — because by offering different modes like Party Royale they encourage a different kind of social and community interaction, which is super clever from a commercial perspective and super fun from a consumer behaviour perspective, Grant says.
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