For a guy with a solid tech background and years of experience in the landscape, I was a firm believer that there isn’t much innovation out there to surprise me. And yet, the latest development in mixed reality and AI blows my mind. For the first time in the history of humanity, our digital footprint has become larger than the physical one, turning flesh and bones into ones and zeros.
Add the potentiality of us living in a virtual reality universe and you’ll see the complex ramifications of such endeavour. And as the advent of artificial intelligence and augmented reality has begun reshaping industries, the world of fashion is no exception to that.
The use of VR/AR/AI technologies in fashion retail is just at the beginning but the potential is absolutely fantastic. From the adoption of AR in retail – to guide buyers towards the location of their favourite garments, to the deployment of 4 Dimensional VR capsules capable of engaging the users’ senses and ‘transport’ them to the manufacturing places of their favourite garments, perfumes, shoes, to learn about the story of the brand and the heritage behind it – up to the creation of AI-powered, computer-generated social media influencers, the word of fashion is changing fast.
It is a trend driven by the tech-savvy generation of fashion consumers. By expressing their views on social media, young fashion buyers highlight the need of fashion avatars as their new non-biased fashion influencers, as the contemporary way of interacting and showcasing who they think they are. But beyond this idea of a new trend, a new type of ‘reality’ is emerging.
A reality of one’s digital self, if that even makes sense. A reality where one can further dress and augment its virtual body and intangible self.
Computer generated garments designed especially for digital self-identities, for virtual-egos, which allows the buyers to engage with their influencers directly, in the shape of virtual avatars.
To the generations used to tangible, palpable fashion garments, such ‘weird’ needs and moreover, the brands’ openness to such demands – by responding and granting their followers access to AI influencers, avatars, and digital fashion garments are very confusing. But the merger of physical with digital is the way forward, and the only way to ensure brand survival.
Yoox, an Italian e-commerce platform for luxury goods, has one of the first brands to test the physical-digital merger with the launch of their Yoox Mirror. A virtual fitting room where shoppers can interact with Daisy, a digital avatar which can be fully customised to resemble the buyer.
Then, it was Gap’s time to start a similar project, by collaborating with Avametric and Google to design one of the most advanced AR dressing room concepts to date. The shopper selects a desired garment from the catalogue of 3D renders (Gap’s digital stock available via their e-commerce platform) and can customise it further thanks to the digital avatar that’s built according to the user’s personal biometrics and personal information.
Once created the digital avatar can wear/test/try all existing garments on Gap’s database for perfect matching. Moreover, once decided, all garments and accessories can be purchased via the app.
Another worth mentioning example comes from Gucci’s digital version of Silicon Valley designed avatar-collection which supports avatar-to-avatar communication. With over one million customisation options such as eye, skin, and hair colour, up to personality types, Genies allow shoppers to create their versions of themselves.
Once ‘alive’ the shoppers can dress their avatars with over 200 pieces of fashion apparel, all Gucci branded. Moreover, the shoppers can purchase apparel worn by their friends’ avatars, with just one click.
Beyond the implications that will, most likely, arise from the expansion of the self into the digital realm, at both physical fashion consumption and consumer’s mental state, the concept of replacing (partly) physical fashion goods with digital equivalents could shine a new light on the concept of sustainable fashion.