MetaFashion in Your Digital Wardrobe
The latest must-have fashion is not streetwear, but screen-wear. South Korean designers are dipping their toes into the world of metafashion, with the government launching its first-ever digital wardrobe. The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy held the launch ceremony on Monday at the Dongdaemun Design Complex.
The Ministry says it is going to present 30 virtual outfits. Several top designers are on board with the project, including hanbok designer Hwang Leesle who has designed outfits for BTS member Jimin. Three celebrities, actress Han Sun-hwa, singer Ravi, and model Jaesi, will be modeling the outfits. The tech behind it comes from the South Korean 3D fashion design software CLO. And mobile carrier KT is developing an app where consumers can try on and buy these virtual pieces.
Metafashion is considered a goldmine of limitless potential. "The clothes in the gaming world are a sort of metafashion. Trying on clothes digitally through AR or VR is another type of metafashion. We buy a lot of clothes to take a good Instagram photo. But with digital clothing services, we may no longer have to buy actual clothes to get the same effect. Metafashion is going to be a game-changer” says officials.
Metaverse fashion is forecast to quadruple in size in the next decade and grow into a 55-billion U.S. dollar industry. In the virtual world, there are no limits to what the creatives can make. "With Metafashion, I can create what's beyond reality, and something that's only been in my imagination."
In addition, virtual style comes without the same environmental impact as traditional fashion. For example, it takes approximately 7-thousand liters of water to make a single pair of jeans. In metafashion, the only liquid needed are the cups of coffee the designers will be drinking to design the jeans in the metaverse. Metafashion is still in its initial stages, especially in South Korea. But as the line between the virtual world and reality blurs each day, there is no telling how far the digital runway can stretch.
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