Coming Together Through Digital Fashion
Carlings is a Scandinavian clothing brand that launched a fully digital collection last year. Digital clothing seems like an innovative, creative and limitless way to reduce the waste from fast fashion that is becoming a big problem. Customers can purchase a fashion item and send in a picture of themselves in which the digital tailors will alter the digitalised garments meaning that the pieces that are bought do not physically exist.
The reason that digital clothing could be the next big thing is because of Gen-Z. This is the generation that basically lives online. Gen-Z values their personal identity a lot and wants to show this identity online and speak up about certain issues. Sustainability is one of these issues. Gen-Z’ers grew up in a world where climate change already showed its negative effects which results in many young activists wanting to make a change.
Digital clothing seems like the perfect combination of two things Gen-Z values the most which are expressing their identity and creating a sustainable world. The pieces that are available are genderless and have quite an innovative look. However, buying clothing that does not really exist still seems like a strange thing to do and how does this bring people together?
Of course, digital clothing is still in its developing phase, however, in my opinion it has a lot of future potential. According to Dutch Digital Design House, The Fabricant, people will eventually spend the same amount of money on digital clothing as they do now on physical clothing. For Gen-Z the value of expressing themselves online will increase in the coming years and if that can be done in a more sustainable way by purchasing digital fashion items, which can be implemented in their pictures or their online avatars, fashion waste will decrease but one’s identity can still be expressed.
In a near future I envision that online communities will be created where it is possible to alter each others digital fashion or even create digital collections together that can be shared with many like minded people. This way people create a connection not only through fashion but also through sustainability and creativity.
