Dolce & Gabbana embraced the metaverse at Milan Fashion Week. The company blended the virtual world with reality by attaching a virtual catwalk to their physical one.
Via a large screen, Avatars strutted down a virtual catwalk. When they reached the screen’s edge they vanished only for real people to take over, walking on a real runway extending from the screen.
Dolce & Gabbana admits it is an unlikely metaverse contender. As Dolce, 63, told the Guardian, “Because of our age, we are outsiders.” While fashion does play a significant role in the metaverse, its tech companies like Meta and Nvidia that are championing the metaverse but we’re confident that many more fashion houses will get on board.
“The metaverse is for a different generation, but we are curious about it. You have to try and understand what is new,” stated Gabbana, who is currently 59.
Dolce & Gabbana’s Metaverse Inspiration
This season the fashion company even took inspiration from the metaverse when creating their lines for the Milan Fashion Week. The collection includes a red latex dress in the shape of a heart, reminiscent of an emoji, as well as plenty of rain-slick blacks.
Gabbana believes that transitioning traditional tailoring skills into the digital realm will allow the company to “show tailoring to a new generation.”
Fashion and the metaverse are becoming increasingly entwined, with Decentraland hosting its first fashion week this month. With metaverse interactions revolving around 3D avatars, digital fashions are an essential piece in the metaverse puzzle. With this in mind, Unreal is offering a course in digital fashion and in November 2021, the British Fashion Council gave out its first award for a metaverse design.
Additionally, popular clothing companies are making an imprint on the virtual world. For instance, Forever 21 is launching a virtual store within Roblox. Likewise, Ralph Lauren teamed up with Roblox in December 2021 for a holiday event where the company offered gender-neutral digital fashions.
For more on how fashion is taking shape in the metaverse be sure to check out the first of our series of features here.
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
