Digital Fashion – Why is it more sustainable in the long run?

Fashion has evolved in the last few decades and has come a long way. It is part of our everyday life. The current fashion trends highly influence how we dress and represent ourselves to the world. Trends are created when a particular type of fashion is appreciated and adopted by a larger audience. When more and more people start embracing that type of fashion, it becomes a ‘trend.’ These fashion trends are popularised by models and celebrities hogging the limelight on public appearances. It becomes a sensation among the audience. Sensing the market demand, fashion designers design, produce, and promote their collections among the masses. While fashion is linked mainly to clothing and accessories, hairstyles have also changed fashion games.

Few Areas of Digitalization

Fashion has evolved for good in this digital world where the universe is connected through high-speed internet. The artists are getting a more prominent online customer base to showcase and sell their designs through several digital channels. Also, the various digital art and fashion forms empower today’s fashion community with more visibility and acceptance. Digital fashion is the prevailing trend. The Millennials and Gen Z are highly active in the digital fashion space. It is enriching for fashion fashion-lovers, too. With digitalization trends in fashion, customers are witnessing a personalized virtual experience, and through various forms of engagement, they can be a part of the fashion community. Let’s find out the most popular digital trends in the fashion industry.

E-commerce: Online shopping was quite popular, with e-commerce sites like Amazon and eBay creating their customer base globally. However, online shopping peaked during the pandemic when buyers were restricted to shopping at home. The virtual experience is quite different when there’s no option to purchase clothing and accessories from retail stores. For a set of buyers, the touch-and-feel and physical trials were considered essential factors in selecting the right pieces. However, with digital payment options, virtual trials, easy returns, and exchange policies, e-commerce platforms became a huge hit. It proved to be a revolutionary change for fashion retailers.

AI-based dressing room/trials: Online shoppers enjoy the virtual experience of making the right choice. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, fashion brands, and e-commerce sites, they created virtual showrooms and trials with accurate measures. With basic information from the customer, like height, weight, facial or body measurements, etc., the AI-based tools can create a personalized view in the digital environment. The “try on” or “360-degree view” features make the digital experience more enjoyable.  Also, the AI-based product recommendations created by analyzing the buyer’s preferences and search history are excellent tools for a holistic customer experience.

Environment-friendly technology: With an introduction to digital printing technology, fashion houses and brands are significantly impacting the environment. With limited use of essential resources like water and reducing wastage of fabric, colors, and other materials, digitalization is contributing towards a low waste and eco-friendly world. Optimum resource utilization, energy-saving, and less pollution are the key factors that make digital fashion more sustainable than physical fashion.

Gamification: Many fashion labels are collaborating with technology partners to create a digital footprint for their labels. Famous brands have launched dress-up games, avatars, skins for characters, etc., to remain at the top of the fashion game. It also provides a platform for commoners and youngsters to showcase their talent in design.

NFTs: NFTs are digital tokens that are very popular in the fashion space in modern times. Fashion houses like the House of Fashion offer customers the opportunity to purchase digital collectibles through NFTs and digital wallets. NFTs are based on blockchain technology that ensures ownership, eliminating chances of duplicity or forgery. It brings many more benefits to the customers as they can stand out from the crowd in the digital fashion space. The demand for NFT fashion items is at an all-time high as more brands enter the domain. It creates a digital community of fashion designers, artists, models, and photographers who can collaborate and target a larger audience.

Conclusion

Thus, we can conclude that digitalization has evolved the fashion industry, and the trend stays there. Virtual fashion shows, gamification, virtual trials, avatars, digital artwork, online payments, and cryptocurrencies have collectively enriched the customer experience. The synergy between art and technology could not be any sweeter. Digital fashion has a huge online market and a larger audience. Embracing the latest technologies, smaller brands and fashion houses are globally making a mark. Moreover, it inspires today’s youth, enhances their skills, and offers them a global platform to showcase their talent. We await more exciting innovations in the fashion space in the coming years.