THE DIGITAL AGE: FASHION EDITION

 By: Rachelle Deng

Would you purchase clothing items that will never be physically worn on your body? With the advent of digital clothing, that idea is quickly becoming a more common reality. From shiny neon fabrics to materials that imitate the look of water flowing, creating clothes digitally opens up a whole new world of design possibilities. But will this new innovation last in upcoming years, or will it be another come-and-go trend?

     Digital clothing first originated as a way for influencers to buy Instagram outfits without having to actually purchase and try on physical clothing. With the rise in influencers and micro-influencers taking up more social media space, the pressure to always be wearing something new and groundbreaking leads to vast amounts of overconsumption, especially as outfits are worn once for an Instagram photoshoot and never again. In the United Kingdom, up to 9% of clothes purchased are purely for content creation. While 9% may seem like a small number, in a clothing industry as large as 60 billion euros, that percentage takes up a significant amount. Therefore, the more users that can utilize digital solutions to purchase these items, the less waste will be produced. 

     One brand known for selling digital-only fashion is DressX, a startup with the vision of combatting overproduction by demonstrating that “some clothes can exist only in their digital versions”. According to DressX’s 2021 sustainability report, producing a digital garment over a physical one emits 97% less CO2 and conserves 3,300 liters of water per item. With measurements, it would seem that switching to digital clothing brings forth a plethora of environmental benefits.

     Of course, some things are simply too good to be true. While digital clothing reduces the need for shipping, distribution, and manufacturing emissions, the usage of extensive data itself can leave a carbon footprint. As we move clothing items to features such as NFTs and potentially the Metaverse, it will be important to consider the carbon emission implications of doing so.

     Regardless, in today’s digital age, new innovations are always being created, for better or for worse. As processes such as meetings, shopping, and more move online, it will be interesting to see whether the future of the fashion industry will follow these trends or continue on its own path.