Imagine how much you would shop if you could pick a perfect body. With the advent of computer graphic simulation, playing dress-up has taken on exciting, previously unattainable possibilities. Just about everything looks good on an idealized avatar, right? Virtual costumes play into today’s love of customization, allowing men and women to more fully realize an online or gaming identity, and savvy businesses are taking the first steps to brand fantasy fashion. Miuccia Prada’s creations, often dubbed “cerebral” or “highly editorial”, translated perfectly into the high-gloss CGI cityscapes of Shinji Aramaki’s anime film Appleseed: Ex Machina. The designer’s costumes have added a touch of luxury to the virtual world of anime—possibly the only other facet of Japanese pop culture that generates a Prada-sized tsunami of consumer fanaticism. Design influences have always flowed between worlds both physical and imagined. Prada’s Appleseed outfits informed her fall 2006 Metropolitan Arrmor collection, and Vogue’s new darling, Rodarte, drew inspiration from Hayao Miyazake’s Spirited Away for spring 2008. But the trend that’s truly grabbing everyone’s attention is virtual retail.
A costume from Appleseed: Ex Machina
Fashion brands are transitioning from the real world to simulated environments, like The Sims and Second Life, with increasing fluidity. H&M has partnered with The Sims and Yahoo to give consumers the ability to do everything from dressing an avatar in H&M to creating personal designs and assembling an online runway show. From the virtual designs submitted to The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Runway Showcase, H&M will choose one design to manufacture and sell in stores.
H&M in The Sims 2; Aimee Weber on Second Life
While simulated sex is still the most profitable Second Life industry, fashion is growing fast enough to garner investments from American Apparel and Adidas, which have both opened virtual stores selling styles that imitate the ones they carry in their brick-and-mortar establishments. (Second Life avatars deal in Linden Dollars, which can be exchanged for actual currency.) Avatar fashion has even spawned Second Life critics and commentators, like Janine Hawkins (alias: Iris Ophelia) of the popular fashion magazine Second Style. Hawkins earns a Linden Dollar salary from arranging fashion shoots, writing about trends, and interviewing designers in the virtual world.For those still anchored to their first life, gaming offers another entrée into avatar fashion. Even retail-allergic men enjoy customizing the outfits on their wrestlers for Xbox 360’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, and players can earn “style points” for their outfits on Def Jam: Icon, a street-fighting game with hip-hop elements. Video game developers can earn product placement dollars by branding items found in games, like Vans sneakers in Tony Hawk’s Project 8. Gamers who fall in the love with the Vans on their avatars can seek them out in real life.Life gets easier in the avatar world. If you want to design your own wedding dress, just create a virtual model on iVillage and piece together design templates for a personalized gown. You don’t need to draw, sew, or get out of a chair. Despite the obvious limitations of an avatar stand-in, virtual fashion enables consumers to explore creative arenas that may seem daunting in everyday life.
—Sherrie Hui
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment