Digital versions of luxury clothing are appearing in apps and video games as brands test consumer appetite for virtual fashion.
Drest, a gaming app unveiled by former Porter editor Lucy Yeomans on Monday, invites users to dress photo-realistic avatars in styling challenges, then buy physical versions of those garments on Farfetch. The 75-person startup recruited 100 brands, including Gucci, Prada, Stella McCartney, Valentino and Burberry. Six Italian luxury brands signed up within half an hour of her pitching them, Yeomans says. A waitlist for early access to Drest opens today; the full launch is slated for 2020.
Louis Vuitton is also dipping its toes into digital fashion waters. Last week, it became the first luxury brand to partner with video game League of Legends by offering in-game “skins” and a corresponding capsule collection designed by Nicolas Ghesquière. And in June, Gucci linked up with augmented reality startup Wanna Kicks on an AR filter that lets users see how Ace sneakers look on their feet.
Brands think that digital fashion — which appears only in images or videos — can potentially increase online engagement by mobile-first shoppers, provide consumer insights and generate revenue. For customers, digital fashion offers a fun way to experiment with clothing and share looks on social media.
The mounting momentum in digital and mixed reality fashion comes as the quality of technology has improved its realism, says Matthew Drinkwater, head of the Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion, whose students were among Drest’s early testers. “It’s reaching a tipping point — people feel like it’s something they want to engage in.”
Games are the gateway
Video games stand to be the avenue through which digital clothes reach the masses since players are accustomed to paying extra to dress their avatars. League of Legends has 8 million active players at any time and offers valuable exposure to potential clients, says Joe Yakuel, founder and CEO of digital marketing agency Agency Within, whose clients include Nike, Spanx and Hugo Boss.
But turning gamers into shoppers is another matter. Outside of a game, it’s hard for customers to feel an emotional connection to the brands or garments they interacted with there, says Karinna Nobbs, a fashion futurist and London College of Fashion lecturer working on a digital garment pop-up store.
Drest is free to play, but users can purchase currency to buy in-game designer pieces at prices proportionate to their real-life value. A £2.99 package, for example, will get 5,000 Drest dollars. Users can customise the size and appearance of their models; eventually, Yeomans hopes to let people create avatars of themselves.
Read the full article on the Vogue Business.
有了 Drest, 数字服饰离主流仅有一步之遥(Vogue Business)
Drest 是前 Porter 编辑 Lucy Yeomans 周一推出的游戏应用程序，它邀请用户为逼真的角色装扮，进行造
型挑战，然后在 Farfetch 上购买这些服装的实物版本。这家拥有 75 名员工的创业公司囊括了 100 个品牌，
包括 Gucci，Prada，Stella McCartney，Valentino 和 Burberry。 Yeomans 说，光在她游说的半小时
内，就有六个意大利奢侈品牌签了字。提前开放Drest 的候补名单从 9月 30日开始；计划于 2020 年全面
发布。
Louis Vuitton 也在全力投入数字时尚领域。上周，它通过提供《英雄联盟》游戏中的“皮肤”以及由Nicolas
Ghesquière 设计的相应胶囊系列，成为第一个与视频游戏合作的奢侈品牌。六月，Gucci 在 AR 滤镜上与
增强现实初创公司Wanna Kicks 联手，使用户可以看到Ace 运动鞋的外观。
品牌认为，仅出现在图像或视频中的数字时尚可能会增加移动优先购物者的在线参与度，提供消费者见解
并产生收入。对于客户而言，数字时尚提供了一种有趣的方式来试穿服装并在社交媒体上分享造型。
伦敦时装学院时尚创新机构负责人Matthew Drinkwater 说，数字和混合现实时尚的发展势头正值科技质
量提高真实感的时代。 “这已经到了临界点，人们觉得这是他们想要参与的事情。”
游戏是门户
由于玩家习惯于支付额外的钱来打扮自己的角色，因此电子游戏将成为数字服装普及的途径。数字营销代
理公司Agency Inside 的创始人兼首席执行官 Joe Yakuel 表示，英雄联盟随时都有 800 万活跃玩家，这
为潜在客户提供了宝贵的机会，其客户包括耐克，Spanx 和 Hugo Boss。
但是，将游戏玩家变成购物者是另一回事。时尚未来主义者兼伦敦时装学院讲师，从事数字服装快闪店工
作的 Karinna Nobbs 说，在游戏之外，客户很难感觉到与其互动的品牌或服装的情感联系。
Drest 是免费游戏，但用户可以购买货币来购买游戏中的设计师作品，其价格与他们的真实价值成比例。
例如，2.99 英镑的套餐将获得 5,000 Drest 币。用户可以自定义模特的身材和外观；最终，Yeomans 希
望让人们创造自己的化身。
Read the full article on the Vogue Business.