After the major fashion weeks in the real world are over, the fashion spectacle moves to the virtual world Decentraland, which will host Metaverse Fashion Week from March 24th to 28th. It’s the first fashion event in the Metaverse where such a variety of designers and brands come together to present their virtual creations.
The participants include well-known names from the real fashion world such as Etro, Dolce & Gabbana, Elie Saab, Cavalli, Tommy Hilfiger, but also labels such as The Fabricant and artists such as Fewocious, who are pioneers in the digital world.
For Metaverse Fashion Week, Decentraland has opened the Luxury Fashion District, a virtual district modeled after the shopping street Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Various pop-up stores will be opened there during Metaverse Fashion Week, in which so-called wearables can be bought – digital clothing items for Decentraland avatars.
Fashion diversity in the Metaverse
“Fashion and haute couture aren’t new to the metaverse,” said Decentraland Foundation creative director Sam Hamilton in a statement. “Decentraland has been at the forefront of rare and in-demand digital fashion since the launch of avatar wearables in 2020. Ever since.” The creators have pushed both the technical and stylistic boundaries of decentraland wearables, creating a booming economy that has raked in over $1 million in Avatar wearables in the last year.”
In addition to fashion shows and pop-up stores, there is a diverse range of events – after-parties from Dolce & Gabbana, Hogan and Imitation of Christ will complete the fashion week, while the CashLabs Gallery offers cultural entertainment through exhibitions by various digital artists. A virtual cinema screens short films by Chanel and Lanvin, and a MetaTokyo pop-up museum displays fashion photographs. Selfridges will open a virtual flagship store and the Republique x Monnier Paris store will feature a variety of virtual accessories by Coach, Axel Arigato and Ester Manas.
First look at Tommy Hilfiger, Etro and The Fabricant
Tommy Hilfiger will show a virtual version of the SS22 collection, the company announced on Monday. In addition, there will be a store in the Luxury Fashion District where consumers can buy wearables as NFTs or in connection with real products. By participating in Metaverse Fashion Week, Tommy Hilfiger intends to keep “on the pulse of innovation”.
Etro will debut a capsule collection on Friday showcasing the house’s new pattern ‘Liquid Paisley’, the Italian label announced on Monday. The collection aims to reflect Etro’s “open and inclusive” approach – because the collection is gender neutral. “Etro has always embodied the spirit of travel, and for us this will be a new journey into the magic of the Metaverse,” says Veronica Etro, Creative Director of the Women’s Collection. Etro will also be launching its first virtual pop-up store in the Luxury Fashion District will open where customers can purchase wearables for their avatars, and the pop-up store will lead to Etro’s online store where the ready-to-wear items and accessories can be purchased in physical form.
The Fabricant will show the result of the first edition of ‘The Fabricant Studios’. In the virtual studio, which was launched in autumn 2021, fashion enthusiasts can create their own designs and then offer them for sale. For the Metaverse Fashion Week, The Fabricant has combined the resulting garments into one collection – and is thus pursuing the idea of ”joint co-creation of the Metaverse wardrobe”. “The show celebrates our community and the talent that is within it,” the company tells FashionUnited.
