Clothes You Don’t Wear: Fashion in the Digital Age
Graphic by Agnes Lee
Sneakers are not just for wearing. Since their invention in the mid-19th century, a culture has been constructed around them. Sneaker enthusiasts film sneaker documentaries, write books about sneakers and create YouTube channels dedicated solely––pun intended––to sneakers. In 2015, The Brooklyn Museum opened an exhibit dedicated to sneakers called “The Rise of Sneaker Culture,” that followed sneakers’ journey to becoming a so-called “global obsession” and “status symbol.” It included sneaker-related films, photography, written histories and design sketches, as well as approximately 150 pairs of sneakers. Sneakerheads make the most of this mania for sneakers by treating the shoes like currency. They keep up with the latest drops in order to buy sneakers that they never wear for hundreds to thousands of dollars and then sell them for even more money.
Fashion Designer Pierre Hardy’s “Poworama” shoes. Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto. Image via The Brooklyn Museum.
This February, 620 pairs of virtual sneakers created by digital design studio Rtfkt and artist Fewocious sold out in seven minutes. While buying sneakers that are impossible to wear may seem nonsensical, the choice makes more sense in the context of sneaker culture considering how sneakerheads are willing to watch movies and read books on sneakers and purchase shoes in order to trade them.
A sneaker by Rtfkt, a design studio, and artist Fewocious. Image via The Wall Street Journal.
Rtfkt and Fewocious’s sneakers are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) –– a type of digital, tradable asset. NFTs consist of digital art, videos, trading cards, tweets and other collectables. The term “non-fungible” means that they are distinctive and can’t be interchanged, unlike money. Recently, NFTs have been rising in popularity as people attempt to diversify their Bitcoin holdings. Rtfkt and Fewocious made $3.1 million during the short, seven-minute period in which their sneakers were sold.
Unlike videos and tweets which already exist online, clothing and accessory NFTs can be confusing because clothes depend on people physically wearing them, right? Maybe sneakers can be bought and traded without being worn, but what about dresses, pants and jackets? Well, as it turns out, some of these clothing items also already exist in an exclusively virtual form.
The Croatian company Tribute and Norwegian company Carlings both make virtual clothing. Because of their digital form, these extravagant designs are not restrained by the laws of gravity or by the availability of materials. The material and form of such outfits can thus have any properties that the designer chooses. When a customer buys an outfit, the clothes can actually be edited onto their likeness.
A dress by virtual clothing company Tribute. Image via Vogue.
Virtual clothing is successful largely due to social media. If you are buying clothes for the singular purpose of taking photos, virtual clothing might do the trick. It’s also eco-friendly. The fashion industry contributes heavily to climate change, but with virtual clothing, you can buy as many outfits as you want without increasing your carbon footprint.
In the world of Zoom meetings where you can get away with working in just your underwear, sneakers and pants may be becoming obsolete. Fashion, however, is adapting alongside technology and the virtual world. You can now spend even more time online shopping to buy digital clothing, whether you are experimenting with different outfits on social media or selling fashionable NFTs.