Is digital couture the future of fashion?

In March, Gucci launched a pair of $12 (Rs 880) sneakers - a temptingly low price, one would think, for such a high fashion brand. Well, that's because the shoes aren't real! The virtual pair of trainers can only be 'tried on' through your phone camera. With fashion weeks going digital and AI models competing with the human ones, it was only a matter of time before clothing followed suit. Though controversial, virtual couture is no longer a dream of the future. Several brands say it's only a matter of time before they enter the digital arena, while others have already dipped their toes in it. So, how does it work?Gucci's $12 (Rs 880) sneakers can only be worn through their app! (@Gucci)It's clothing designed specifically for the digital realm. For example, the Dutch digital fashion house Fabricant recently unveiled the digital dress ‘Iridescence’, described as a "unique garment (that) is a traceable, tradeable and collectible piece of digital art". Made using 2D and 3D designing software, the clothing flows and breathes online, using technology. The brand has also launched denim that exists only in the digital realm, besides collaborating with brands like Puma and Tommy Hilfiger on digital shoes and sweatshirts.Even crypto fashion weeks - featuring AI models, virtual catwalks and reality-and-gravity-defying outfits - are now a thing.<br>A virtual fashion show by digital fashion house, The Fabricant (@the_fab_ric_ant)The cyber fashion brand Tribute offers a range of shiny, futuristic outfits. On buying them, you upload a picture yourself in the shopping cart and they custom fit it to your digital frame. The Fabricant offers custom-fitting services too. Gucci's sneakers can be tried on through their app. In February, digital shoe brand Rtfkt sold out their range of sneakers in under 7 minutes, generating $3.1 million. Bidders tried them on through Snapchat.Digital fashion brand The Tribute custom-fits their 'contactless cyber pants' on clients (@Tribute_Brand) You can model them on social media platforms like Instagram. Many also buy them to dress up their avatars in virtual games and worlds. Currently, ASOS has collaborated with Sims for a fashion collection, while Fortnite also allows players to buy digital clothing. In 2019, Louis Vuitton designed a series of skins for League of Legends, along with pieces that could be worn IRL as well.Digital shoe brand Rtfkt sold out their range of sneakers in just 7 minutes, generating $3 million (@rtfkt)While critics have slammed this as an example of senseless capitalism, the industry argues that digital fashion is more sustainable than physical fashion. The outfits also don't discriminate on the basis of body, size or gender. They also say that with many Gen-Zers spending most of their time online, they would be invested in making their virtual selves as fashionable as their physical selves. What's more, one can even push fashion boundaries with them. For example, Fabricant is working on products like 'flaming shoes' - which could never exist IRL. A cyber dress the by the brand TributeSydney-based Neuno, which is currently working with five luxury fashion houses on wearable NFTs, says that they plan to combine physical and digital fashion. Citing the example of the iconic Jennifer Lopez Versace dress, the brand's CEO Natalie Johnson told a fashion magazine that they want to build special filters that allow users to wear the same dress as the singer did (at a presumably lower rate too). Other bands like Clothia too are offering physical and digital versions of luxury brands, with the latter being more 'accessible' to customers.