Open world gaming platform Roblox has released a new report examining the current trends and possible future behaviors of its 50 million users and their relationship to digital fashion. The 2022 Metaverse Fashion Trend Report is part of a new collaboration between Roblox and the Parsons School of Design, who partnered with the platform to research and collect the data.
With the results, Roblox hopes to underscore the importance of self-expression through digital identity and avatar style for Gen Z, the largest user base of metaverse-centric platforms. In addition to behavioral data from its own community, Roblox also surveyed 1,000 US-based Gen Z members to gain a detailed insight into consumer preferences.
“Gen Z consumers are spending more time in immersive social spaces like Roblox, where they have been expressing themselves through their creations and digital style preferences for over a decade. With their increasing economic power and influence on fashion, trends from the metaverse are expected to have a profound impact on physical fashion, while trends from the physical world will continue to migrate to the metaverse,” said Christina Wootton, Vice President of Global Partnerships from Roblox, in a press release accompanying the report.
Digital creative communities are on the rise
Wootton also noted that the next generation of fashion designers and brands are likely to delve deep into digital fashion, designing collections to be worn in the virtual world by avatars. This is evident in Roblox’s reported 25% increase in the number of active fashion designers designing digital goods for the platform, with around 11.5 million of them designing more than 62 million pieces of clothing and accessories over the course of 2022 .
Based on this data, according to Roblox, there are at least 200 times as many designers designing apparel and accessories on Roblox as there are fashion designers designing physical collections in the US.
“On Roblox, some creators in the community may pursue the creation and design of items as a hobby, but it is important to emphasize that this ability to easily create digital fashion and bring it to a global audience is a lot enabling more people to be creative,” said Daniel Drak, assistant professor of strategic design and fashion communication at Parsons University.
Generation Z emphasizes the demand for customization and inclusivity
This idea of an expanded, diverse creator base is also reflected in Gen Z’s desire for inclusive, highly customizable fashion offerings on the platform. Almost all respondents said they adjusted their avatars at least somewhat, while more than half said they adjusted them “a lot”. About 40 percent of the platform’s active users update their avatars at least once a month; about 18 percent even daily.
There was also a call for a variety of personalization options, including a requirement for a range of skin tones, body sizes, and personal characteristics such as hair color and style. Most users stressed the importance of digital clothing being suitable for all body types – an element that prompted Roblox to introduce the Layered Clothing feature earlier this year, which allows for the creation of 3D clothing for all avatar types to adjust. Since launch, nearly 11 million users have purchased items from this category, according to the platform, with 157 million users purchasing both free and paid garments.
Fashion has just as much value in the metaverse
It seems that Generation Z appreciates digital fashion as much as their physical counterparts: 42 percent of respondents said that expressing themselves digitally is just as important as in the real world. Additionally, more than three-quarters said it was important to be “fashionably dressed” in the metaverse.
It has been found that users draw inspiration for their digital selves from a variety of sources, including physical fashion trends, their favorite brands and, most importantly, other avatars. Their spending behavior also underscores the growing attachment to digital fashion: almost three out of four respondents stated that they would spend their money on digital clothing. Over 60 percent said they spend $5 to $20 monthly, while 12 percent spend $50 to $100.
Roblox expands partnership with Parsons
To further expand the partnership with Parsons, Roblox will also be working with the New York University on a joint course in which students will learn how to design digital clothing. The 16-week course, which will be offered from the spring semester of 2023, is intended to prepare participants for media change. The curriculum includes research, prototyping of digital and physical fashion, and the application of new technologies to design, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with experienced designers from the Parsons and Roblox communities.
At the end, students will be able to create physical and digital clothing and accessories at Parsons and Roblox’s avatar marketplace. “Partnering with Roblox offers Parsons students working in the field of creative technologies an exciting opportunity to engage with the complex intersection of visual culture and social structure and play with how we create meaning when we dress – in digital and physical worlds,” said Shana Agid, dean of Parsons’ School of Art and Media Technology in an announcement of the partnership.
The college has also partnered with Roblox and hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on November 2 with a panel of Metaverse experts. Participants discussed key findings and shared predictions on the future of the digital fashion industry to answer the question, “What’s next in Metaverse fashion?”
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.