DIGITAL FASHION AND THE FRONTIERS OF OUR DIGITAL LIVES.
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Having a fundamental knowledge of Digital Fashion and the frontiers of our digital lives with the advent of Web3 and Metaverse has helped to shape my view on the future of fashion. I also understand just the way I have identified them above, that they are very much in the early stage and as such, there is still a lot more to do, to implement them successfully. Firstly the underlying technologies are too expensive and/or not easily accessible. Secondly, our mindset is built around the current state of things, the existing environment and not wanting to grow beyond the realities that we are boxed in. I can go on and on but again these and others are issues that thankfully have been identified and will be solved as they evolve.
However, there is a certain reoccurrence that I find disturbing based on a personal point of view (which I believe is valid). These are scenarios where Digital Fashion, Web3, and Metaverse are discussed as niche or branded as a market strategy. I think this is the right time to roll up my sleeves and discuss these fundamental issues. They might have a negative impact on people’s mindset toward digital adoption in the Fashion industry if not addressed.
Web3 is the next phase and the third generation of the evolution of web technologies. Metaverse amidst other reasonable explanations can be seen as an advanced level of social interaction and economic interoperability across virtual worlds. Digital fashion on the other hand is a new growing field that utilizes digital media/technology for fashion production. It is important to note that Web3 and Metaverse all have different meanings but are interconnected. Of course, just like in the early days of the “world wide web”, there are misconceptions and a few would want to “translate” such for personal gains. What makes Web3, and Metaverse to be interconnected is that they are fuelled by the concept of decentralization, interoperability, and amongst others, privacy which is not supported by the current state of the Web (Web2.0). As they evolve, they will continue to impact our digital lives.
So it is safe to say that though Digital Fashion, Web3, and Metaverse are still in the early stage, in years to come, 5 years or 10 years and above, they will become necessary adoptions in the fashion industry. Therefore, it is important to understand that the underlying technologies in Digital Fashion, Web3, and Metaverse are tools that if adopted, will shape the fashion business and the future of fashion. Rather than branding them for market strategy, what is important is that they become part of the DNA of fashion business models
