“2022 Will Be a Crazy Year for Digital Fashion”
2021 was a great year for digital fashion enthusiasts as several giant tech players publicly announced their steps towards building the next generation internet – the Metaverse. As this opened many doors for digital fashion designers out in the world creators may still find it difficult to build sustainable business models for their products. Daniella Loftus who last year founded her agency “This Outfit Does Not Exist”, will spend 2022 trying to solve this equation by connecting digital fashion makers with buyers through the platform DRAUP.
Do you remember the first time you came across a digital fashion creation?
My exposure to digital fashion came in three stages. First I became aware of the digital fashion sold by the Fabricant through the Iridescence dress. Then I saw the Carlings digital collection – the first time digital fashion could be consumed and worn by humans. And finally, what led me to create This Outfit Does Not Exist, was an article where the CMO of Gucci said they were looking at designing clothes to be produced fully digitally.
If you look at virtual try-on as a fashion genre, who is currently the user? How do people actually use the experiences you are building?
I’d say the user for digital fashion ORL (or on-real life) splits into two groups:
1. Those who get ORL for free e.g. AR filters provided by brands on IG/ Snap – this would be the physical fashion mass market who want to play around with their style or see what an outfit would look like on them
2. Those who pay for ORL e.g. digital renders provided directly through digital fashion brands – those who generate revenue from content creation. So Instagram influencers, magazine editors, etc. who are prepared to invest $10-500 in getting a great photo because they’ll make money from it.
Daniella Loftus / This Outfit Does Not Exist
Who are some of your clients today and what do you do for them?
At the moment I work with clients by writing articles, doing expert interviews, and consultancy and I also help to bring exposure to digital fashion brands via my Instagram. Last year some of my favorite opportunities were writing the monthly insights for The Fabricant and hosting their Twitter spaces; writing for CYBR magazine; speaking on the Real Vision podcast; and working with brands such as Tribute, ZERO10, Replicant, etc. I’m also writing a deep-dive report on the digital fashion and gaming economy for a blockchain gaming leader.
How do you look at the evolution of fashion NFT:s. Will the demand cool off or continue to grow exponentially in 2022?
EXPONENTIAL. 2022 is going to be a crazy year for digital fashion. Large brands are going to enter the space en-masse, raising the mainstream consciousness and demand, and hopefully prompting the cohort of new digitally-native fashion designers to enter.
Daniella Loftus / This Outfit Does Not Exist
Daniella Loftus / This Outfit Does Not Exist
How would you like to see This Outfit Does Not Exist developing moving forward? What steps would you like to take as an agency and as a creator?
This year I am building a platform called DRAUP which aims to transform digital fashion into a tool for endless wealth. Over my time in the industry I noticed that while voxelized toads, and apathetic apes were getting attention from collectors, and millions of dollars put towards them, digital fashion was accruing a fraction of the interest. DRAUP will focus on maximizing the value digital fashion can bring to both creators and consumers through providing routes to wearability and monetization.
Who would your dream collaborator be?
My dream collaborator would be a digitally native brand that pushed the boundaries of avant-garde fashion through experimentation with technology and materials. A great example is Tribute and also the Fabricant however going on the Magic Fabric Blog page I’ve seen a ton of fabrics/ designs I would LOVE the opportunity to digitally wear.
