Who’s going where and we’re in the metaverse: how was the second Fashion Week in virtual reality and can it compete with reality?

The future we’ve been told in books and movies seems to be here. Students today write their dissertations using neural networks, artificial intelligence itself produces unique photos and text, and mysterious meta-universes are attracting more and more people and large corporations. Of course, the fashion industry could not stand aside.

In the last few years, many fashion brands have gone to conquer virtual reality, creating their own worlds in it, and launching products that you can buy but not touch. Gucci, Balenciaga, Ambush, Burberry, Etro, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Dolce & Gabbana were among the first to offer NFTs to their devoted fans. And Louis Vuitton created an adventure puzzle game – Louis The Game.

But this is not the end of the fun, on the contrary, it is just beginning. At the end of March, Metaverse Fashion Week was held on the Decentraland platform – that is, Fashion Week in the metaverse. What is it and why is it so hotly debated in fashion circles? We promise him and offer to arrange a complete immersion in the world of the future.

Inna Kombarova, author of the Telegram channel “Mom’s fashionista”

Metaverse Fashion Week lasts two. What’s up?

Inspired by last year’s success and an impressive roster of designers, the Decentraland platform has decided to hold its second Metaverse Fashion Week, this time from March 28 to 31. The main theme of Fashion Week was “The Legacy of the Future” and the fashion show was supposed to demonstrate the potential for interaction between open metaverses and push the boundaries of digital fashion. “Sounds great!” you say. “But is it really so?” I will ask. Let’s figure it out.

In fact, any “movement” initiated by a real brand in the digital world will only be possible if there is a “guide” to this world. Not a single major player in the fashion market would dare to conquer the meta universe without seasoned developers returning there. And this is open to everyone without exception. Therefore, it is at least strange to make collaboration between the two industries the main theme of Fashion Week.

The second point that surprises me is that the number of real brands has decreased significantly compared to last year. While Paco Rabanne, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Tommy Hilfiger, Dundas, Cavalli, Nicholas Kirkwood, Elie Saab and Imitation of Christ were featured on the March 2022 Fashion Week program, nearly half of the brands declined to participate this year. Of all the MVFW shows, the only ones I noticed were Dundas and Adidas (they were the first to show up in the metaverse).

But the main players of Metaverse Fashion Week are ZERO10, DressX and (one of the most famous digital clothing brands) Fabricant. But it is impossible to call their participation something special, because now they are everywhere. With the new (read: old) sorted out, let’s now move on to the journey between locations.

How was my trip to Decentraland?

This year I decided to go around Decentraland myself and immediately ran into the problem that it was impossible to enter the platform from a phone or tablet, that is, the mobility of the game immediately disappeared. But I’m a stubborn person and I wasn’t going to stop halfway through. So I borrowed my son’s computer, canceled all appointments, and traveled to the mysterious metaverse. I don’t talk about meetings that way, just so they understand that this lecture is more than an hour away. So the question is: What category of people are the main users and where do they find so much free time?

The convenience of interacting with the Metaverse itself is also lackluster – the iOS app doesn’t actually work, so you have to play through the browser where you’re constantly kicked out by clogging the cache. By the way, there was such an influx of users on the first day that it was impossible to visit the places, and many of them never went to the announced Dundas show. However, something still pleasantly surprised me, and these are images of a metamodist (mods from the metaverse) clearly preparing for the event and buying not only digital clothes, but also makeup, manicures and (attention) moves.

What’s the purpose?

In addition to the shows on the first day, meditation was done with Alo Yoga. They usually thought of activities for each day – yoga, breathing master class and Reiki practice. It looks like you need to get up from the computer and do the exercises dictated by the coach. This is the most non-obvious collaboration in Metaverse Fashion Week, and it’s further proof that Fashion Week isn’t just about shows and outfits.

On the second and third days it was possible to learn how to work in the neural network. It sounds good, but you actually go to the venue and listen to the presentation, but you can’t do anything. Also on the program were panel discussions from Vogue Singapore, and it’s a very interesting introduction to the territory of the shiny metaverse, but the app leaves much to be desired. In fact, your avatar is watching a real zoom conference with experts.

What about boutiques?

Now let’s move on to the most interesting part – digital boutiques of brands. I want to immediately note that the movement around the positions is implemented very conveniently. For example, in the upper left corner there is not only a map with coordinates, but also an icon of MVFW, by clicking on which you can see the events taking place at the moment.

The Decentraland card itself is subdivided into Luxury Plaza and Neo Plaza. He is responsible for major brands such as Luxury, Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY.

By the way, the last brand has a huge four-story boutique with a pizzeria, bar and disco on the roof. There is only one nuance here – all this space is empty, the cafe is not working, and there is no music on the dance floor. While it may seem like a big project, it’s actually a complete mess. If only an NPC (computer-controlled non-player character) was put there, who could he interact with and buy goods. The only plus is that at the entrance to the boutique you can get clothes for free.

But there is no question for Tommy Hilfiger, the brand has designed its space perfectly. The boutique offers things created with the participation of the neural network, and new spaces are opened every day with the work of digital artists. This is how the brand promotes digital art. By the way, in the store you can make a puzzle with the name of the brand and receive the emotion as a gift. So far, I can’t quite understand that the extra moves in the game need to be earned.

Next, we head to the failed Vivienne Westwood case. It seems that after the death of the maestro the maximum should be subtracted from this. But no. To get an immersive setup, you have to go from site to site, change the PDF file, get upset about five times (because everything crashes), and then, if you’re lucky, complete it all. At the dear Vivienne location, we can complete the task, check out the brand’s signature plaid and stairs with the letter SEX. This is where miracles end.

I decided to go to Adidas after Vivienne Westwood boutique. And he did not leave empty-handed. All users are given the opportunity to receive a free jacket. True, it will greatly slow down the game if you decide to plug it in. Ah, this is digital fashion!

I think the best place was the presentation of Coach and Tabby Bag. From the pink city we go to the boutique and every day we go to the bag itself, where you can complete the quest, earn a boa and try the bag.

Summing up

First, I would like to point out that after the last MVFW, luxury brands decided to refuse to join the metaverse. The focus shifted to the middle segment. And that’s the right decision considering Decentraland audiences. Secondly, the most interesting thing about fashion week is the participants themselves and how they dress. Many even mention their real social networks in the description. But all this is interesting to watch for the first few days, then it gets boring. Third, I still don’t quite understand who needs it. Who are all these people who are ready to sit in front of a computer for hours, put up with bugs and play weird games? Within four days, I realized that the main goal of most players was to get free clothes. This much. Therefore, it seems to me that it does not make much sense for luxury brands to enter such platforms. After all, the entire solvent audience is engaged in real work and cannot afford to sit in the metaverse for several hours a day.