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#47 | Tailoring the Virtual: A Deep Dive with Digital Fashion Designers

#47 | Tailoring the Virtual: A Deep Dive with Digital Fashion Designers

June 02, 2023

Read time: an apple

This is a weekly newsletter brought to you by a former fashion editor, aka me, Lina. I will cover digital wearables and their role in gaming and fashion.

The Wearables Daily feature and acknowledge all industry talents and tell their stories.

Introduction

A warm welcome back to another edition of The Wearables Daily, your trusty guide through the enthralling expanses of the virtual worlds and games! This time, we're not just dipping our toes but diving headfirst into the vibrant, evolving, and electrifying world of digital fashion.

You've probably noticed, just as I have, how digital fashion is setting its foot in virtual worlds and games. It's clear this isn't a fleeting trend but a substantial shift in how we express ourselves in the digital domain. But today, we're not merely spectators on the sidelines; we're stepping into the creative workshop, right where the magic happens.

We're in for a treat as we chat with Fabeeobreen, KJ from Low Poly Models, and the talented Tangpoko, all creators who will soon release fresh, innovative digital outfits for Union Avatars. They are here to shed light on their creative process, talk about their inspirations, and share their visions about the future of digital fashion.

Fabeeobreen, who's been "bringing real swag into virtual worlds" since 2018, takes us through the creation of their Shangri-La outfit for Union Avatars. KJ from Low Poly Models, an artist whose passion for technology and art is evident in their work, discusses how their unique design approach shapes digital wearables and online identities. And we will talk with Tangpoko, who is bound to offer more captivating insights from her journey in the digital fashion space.

The best part? You can bring a piece of their vision home. All these new outfits, with their intriguing stories and designs, will be available to purchase on the Droffo marketplace on Tuesday.

Digital Fashion from a Techno-Artistic Perspective: Unveiling the Mind of KJ

KJ, tell us a bit about yourself and how you entered the digital fashion space.

Hey there! I'm KJ, a 3D artist at Low Poly Models. I’m fascinated by both technology and art, which led me into the exciting world of creating digital content for the metaverse, including wearables. I found that 3D modeling for virtual worlds was the ideal fusion of my interests. It allows me to explore the intersection of design and technology, experiment with different techniques, and express myself creatively.

What's your creative process like?

When it comes to my creative process, begins with a client’s brief or an idea / feeling I want to convey. I explore the concept and look for interesting ways to represent it visually. As I brainstorm, you'll often find me blocking in shapes in Blender or jotting down ideas in a notebook. Then it's time to dive into the 3D modeling, texturing, and weight painting, making sure the end result meets all of the platform's requirements.

How do you envision the future of digital fashion?

Digital fashion is already closely intertwined with traditional fashion. Nowadays, many garments go through rigorous digital processes, including design and printing. The future of digital fashion presents exciting opportunities to tackle issues like fast fashion waste by providing a way to try on garments virtually before they are physically created or shipped. It has also become a fashion genre in its own right, tailored to the digital world we live in today. Virtual environments are becoming an integral part of our personal and professional lives, with our identities expressed through profile pictures and 3D avatars. Digital fashion plays a significant role in shaping our online identity, much like physical garments do in real life.

Tell us more about your creations for Union Avatars. What was the idea behind them, and what was your process?

For Union Avatars, we wanted to bring the Low Poly Models TechWear collection to life on more platforms. After the original launch of the collection in Decentraland, our team started sending wearable airdrops to collectors. Being advocates of interoperability, the idea of making these outfits available on another platform like Union Avatars was a natural next step. Before proceeding, we made sure to involve our collectors in the decision-making process. We asked for their input through a poll, and their enthusiastic response confirmed that bringing the collection to Union Avatars was indeed a no-brainer. In terms of the process, we adapted the previously created TechWear wearables to the Union Avatars guidelines.

How have technological advancements influenced your designs? Are there any specific technologies or platforms that have significantly impacted your creative process?

Technological advancements have had a profound impact on our designs. Without the evolution of computer science in the past couple of decades, the platforms we create wearables and scenes for wouldn't exist. Similarly, the software tools we rely on, such as Blender, Substance Painter, and Photoshop, have greatly advanced enabling us to bring our creative visions to life. It has also been exciting to incorporate cutting-edge technologies like Midjourney and Chat GPT into our creative arsenal. These tools have revolutionized idea generation and comparison, allowing us to explore and refine concepts in ways that were previously unimaginable.

KJ skin for Union Avatars

Bringing Real Swag to the Virtual World: An Exclusive with Fabeeobreen

How would you describe your latest digital fashion outfit for Union Avatars? What was your inspiration, and how does it reflect in the designs?

Shangri-La outfit brings FBRN fashion across the metaverse featuring the brand's flourish pattern combined with the iconic meta-slides shoes. The outfit made of deep and strong colors is inspired by the Shangri-La myth, making it a perfect fit to explore any dreamy place or party hard in a jungle rave.

How do you envision your digital fashion being used in the metaverse? Are there any innovative ways you hope to see your designs utilized or integrated into virtual environments? FBRN digital fashion aim to shape emotions. The best way digital fashion can be used is by having fun with it. Being part of the player's very own story is the most exciting part.

What defines you as a creator? And what are your future plans for creating digital fashion?

"Bringing real swag into virtual worlds" has been my motto since 2018, the year I started creating wearables and avatars for the metaverse. I love the tech field because it is constantly evolving: I look forward to exploring new creative ways to combine my skills with emerging technologies and playing with the fashion world in a fully digital way.

How did you find digital fashion?

I was working as a VFX artist for the cinema industry before dedicating myself full-time to metaverse and wearables development. I've been creating digital clothing since 2013, and I've been a virtual worlds explorer since 2008. I'm happy to see the Digital fashion field being recognized as a specific trend and skill set nowadays.

What is the creative process like when designing digital clothing? How does it differ from traditional fashion design (maybe you tried designing IRL, too?), and what unique challenges and opportunities does it present? I don't have any experience with real-clothing design, would love to try one day. I think the creative process is very personal. It depends on the Artist's mood, environment, background, and the pipeline used to create the artwork. Some are more technical than others: the digital world offers an incredible range of tools and expression freedom. The biggest challenge is to keep learning every day and follow the progress; once the Artist is confident with his workflow, opportunities are endless.

FabeeoBreen skin for Union Avatars

Fashioning the Future: Tangpoko's Vision for the Metaverse

How did you get in into the Metaverse space?

I got into crypto in 2017, I fell in love with Bitcoin, and I fell in love with the idea of P2P transactions. Overall, I loved having better control of my finances as an independent woman. I know that I always felt uncomfortable finding out information about investments and talking to corporations and bankers about what I wanted to do with my money. So bitcoin gave me real freedom as a female to make my own decisions financially.

Of course, I bought just during the bull run in 2017, and I HODL'ed all the way for a couple of years, so I learned some lessons. (laughing)

How did the Doll House become a reality?

I don't think I went into it with the idea of having a party house. We were a group of friends hanging around the Metaverse. It was really a way for us to have a home base. I have a company called House of Tang, that was already doing a lot of building around Decentraland, so I really wanted Babydolls to have a place to call their own, so instead of just going to other people's parties, we could throw parties for the people we want to support and promote.

How will wearables change in time? What do you think about buzzword utility?

Most of the time, creators need to make utility, whether in fashion getting a phi-digital item, along with your digital item, or gaining access to certain perks, or real-life events or events in Decentraland. So having the ability to add utility to that stuff is a really cool thing, I think. Is it necessary? Nah, not, but it does add to it. And then, in that sense, you should charge more for it.

Also, it's hard to self-promote, you know, especially as a female, you were told to not show off and not talk about yourself too much, so it's been difficult for people, I think to sell-promote. Men are very good at self-promoting, but women struggle with it a lot.