Digital fashion is starting to have a major impact on the fashion industry. There is a lot of extremely innovative work being done in this particular segment of the industry, but there is still a disconnect in mainstream adoption. To change that, experts are talking about the need for “gamified” environments. “Gamification” is the integration of game mechanics into non-game environments. In the case of digital fashion, for example, this is the integration of images and sounds in a real environment to engage visitors and encourage their engagement and participation.
This makes the close relationship between the world of games and digital fashion very clear. Being inherently digital environments, games have long been a good entry point for various fashion houses to digitally integrate their pieces. This synergy between digital fashion and the world of gaming has existed since the introduction of human characters, after all, every character in every game wears clothes. Not only do these avatars wear clothing to cover their bodies, ideally their clothing also provides important clues about the character. They are also a means of illustrating the broader environment in which the game takes place and adding depth and richness to the digital world.
The next step was to get players more involved by giving them the ability to customize their avatar to their personal taste, bringing a sense of self-expression and a personal aesthetic to the game world. This is closely related to the widespread popularity of games whose storylines follow a specific character or avatar, increasing the likelihood of a closer relationship between gamers and characters. This is particularly evident in games where an avatar moves in an open world, such as in games like World of Warcraft or the Grand Theft Auto series, or in reality simulations like Second Life or the very popular ones The Sims games. The latter also increase the likelihood of direct identification with the avatar, as in many cases they are idealized versions of the players themselves.
Identification with your avatar
Clothing is an important part of this development. Players can purchase digital clothing items in exchange for in-game currency and later for real-world currency.
Developed by Linden Lab and first launched in 2003, Second Life still has around 900,000 active users, according to a 2020 interview with Ebbe Altar, CEO of LindenLab. The concept is based on life in an alternative world accessible via a computer. In this world, people could acquire items and even property, opening up a new potential source of income. One company that recognized this early on was Adidas, which moved into the digital arena and opened a presence in the virtual world. But not only real brands could make digital clothes. Users also had the opportunity to design their own collections and offer them to other players, provided they had the necessary programming skills. This integration of real brands into a gaming environment is not unique. Other very popular examples of this were The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff (2007) and The Sims 3: Diesel Stuff. Both were expansion packs, i.e. add-ons to the main game that offered players digital versions of H&M and Diesel tracks for their avatars.
Fashion and games today
Today, according to Statista, the gaming industry is worth around $178 billion, up from $70.6 billion in 2012, and is estimated to grow further to $268.8 billion by 2025. With the increasing popularity and spread of online games, the initial hesitation to spend money in the game is overcome, as evidenced by the extremely popular game “League of Legends”. With around 100-120 million active monthly gamers, it is one of the biggest online games. The game, which is free to play but offers the option to pay in-game with legal tender, has grossed $1.75 billion in 2020. In it, the players play avatars, which are called champions and for each of which several skins, i.e. different visual representations, are available. In 2019, Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, announced a collaboration with French fashion house Louis Vuitton. Nicolas Ghèsquière has designed two exclusive skins for the game.
Another game that brought fashion houses into the digital realm was Animal Crossing, a social simulation video game developed by Nintendo. It saw a surge in popularity during the pandemic, which forced people to find new ways to connect, and brands also embraced the game’s appeal. Marc Jacobs and Valentino brought their designs to the game, later followed by brands like Gucci Beauty, Pandora, Ted Baker and H&M, all establishing a presence. Two of the latest brands to follow were Balenciaga, which offered exclusive skins for the game Fortnite, and Prada, which approached the digital world by offering its Linea Rossa outerwear to players of the game Riders Republic.
This shows that fashion houses have recognized the great appeal and sales potential of offering digital pieces. What started in an encapsulated game world is now slowly arriving in reality as technology advances and the advent of AR technology makes it more and more available and applicable in our daily lives, opening up a whole new potential market. Of course, this not only attracts big fashion brands, but also many new designers who specialize in digital creations. As digital fashion now transcends the realm of games, into broader applications, and even emerges as an entity in its own right, success will ultimately depend on how far AR will be integrated into our daily lives in the future. As long as our physical body takes precedence over a virtual one, no matter how many digital worlds we use in our free time, we still have to follow the demands that the physical world places on us, such as the need to dress.
This item was previously on FashionUnited.uk