Three distinctly different Fashion Week events happen in Spring 2023.
Photo Credit: HONEY by Svetlana Yakunina
It has been my experience that conversations with many people in the fashion industry have not been very pleasant. Many, though not all, tend to be bit hoity-toity or holier than thou. That’s why having a conversation with Svetlana Yakunina was quite refreshing. It was nothing like I’d expected. Maybe this new world is actually going to be a nicer place.
“What new world?” I can hear you asking as you read this article. Well, the world of Web3, blockchain and all its associated technology. It’s all VERY new and integrates with web 2 so that no one is left out. It does take a bit of research to understand it, but it is worth your time. Web3 is coming, (it’s here, actually) like it or not.
Svetlana runs a digital fashion business called Honey Love club. Founded in 2021, they specialise in fashion design and animation for the metaverse and fashion NFT creation. It might seem like the stuff of video games and fantasy, but it is real and here to stay. In fact Web3 will revolutionise the way we use the internet.
"..We are a female-led digital fashion house based in Milan, Italy. We are committed to continuously delivering a fascinating experience on the bridge between traditional and innovative fashion in the Metaverse." Svetlana adds (and you can hear the smile in her voice) I have made deep connections and real collaborations with people who support creators, and respect other designers. It's such a different world..."
But what is this new craze? People ask me all the time. Fashion has been around since forever, but there are certain physical limitations with clothing. Not so with meta fashion. In fact, the sky is the limit. Nothing is too crazy or weird. You can work with companies to create any gravity-defying look your heart desires.
Next-Level Sustainability
There is the sustainability aspect, as well. A recent study by Barclays Bank in the UK concluded that 1 out of ten purchases of clothing are only worn once. Of course, this isn’t the case for everyone, but why buy something expensive (let’s not even get in to storage) that you’ll only wear once?
Almost one in ten Brits reveal that they have bought clothes online (nine per cent) to wear once with the aim of posting a photo to social media and subsequently returning their purchases. - Barclays UK
Digital fashion is in its infancy, but in a few short years it will be a billion dollar industry. People like Svetlana have their foot in the door early, and are sure to capitalize on this new trend. While at the moment most digital fashion is created for static photos, it won’t be long before you are dancing at a meta nightclub in your new gear, Undoubtedly game developers will seize on this too, and meld everything together.
I checked out the fashion at Honey Love club and was impressed by the craziness of it all. In the metaverse, there are no tules. Gravity does not exist. The only limits are your imagination. It is easy enough to contact their team through their website, so if you are looking for something special, just let them know.
Hypewear and Algorand
We found Honey Love Club in Hypewear.io - To the uninitiated mind, it felt at first like it was the Etsy for Digital Fashion, and Svetlana's brand stood out for many reasons. Our Content Editor Kristina Marie had a frank and friendly interview chat with her. Svetlana's approachable open-minded character shines through her creations and conversations. Hypewear is owned by ABOUT YOU--one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies and one of the leading online fashion retailers in Europe; driving innovative projects and seeing itself as an industry pioneer in digital fashion. ABOUT YOU's Hypewear vision is to create an online shop for digital fashion. (Online) Brick & Mortar meets The Metaverse.The aim: making digital fashion items accessible to the general public. With the new platform for digital fashion, there are no physical limits to the customers’ own self-expression. HYPEWEAR is a first mover to offer digital fashion and, according to its motto ‘From Tech to Human’, the items are not only affordable for digital fashion fans, but also accessible without crypto knowledge. This makes the platform one of the pioneers in the market. Hypewear lives in an AlgomartNFT Marketplace-A white-label, open source NFT marketplace built on the eco-friendly Algorand blockchain.
In addition to the fashion e-commerce business, ABOUT YOU aims to conquer the virtual fashion space and offer customers a wide variety of outfits. Virtual fashion allows creators to design pieces that are not wearable in real life or could not exist like this such as a jacket made of virtual flowers, a dress made of dancing tulle elements, or other unusual voluminous highlight pieces. There are different collections available in the HYPEWEAR shop; some of them are rare and limited in number, others are available more often. Customers have the opportunity to express themselves in a completely new way and to present themselves digitally.
Understandably, this is particularly relevant for Gen Z with regard to the fluid understanding of their identity.
Is it here to stay? Digital Fashion, I mean?
As I wrote about before, the world of fashion is about to be revolutionized with the announcement of the first-ever AI Fashion Week, in March 2023-- an event that will showcase the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and fashion. The competition is open to all (apply here), and the designs will be showcased both online and in real-life (IRL) during the event, starting March 10th 2023 in New York City.
But does that make it an auxiliary event to what seems to be the largest one? Just like Fashion Week, prominent catwalk brands are already talking about the biggest event in Digital Fashion : Metaverse Fashion Week (MVFW), scheduled for March 28-31 in Decentraland.
As Hypewear puts it: "...Welcome to the hype – HYPEWORLD takes you into a futuristic, friendly place in the clouds that represents a planet of fashion’s future and takes you to different ABOUT YOU pit stops. So come with us – We will take you on a journey to a different world and give you access to front row seats to places like the ABOUT YOU AWARDS, our Pangea Festival and all the way to the About You Fashion Week. First things first, you’ll get to visit HYPEWEAR, the central part of our HYPEWORLD ecosystem. Here, you can buy your first Digital Fashion Item and create your own custom digital closet from HYPEWEAR to all your social networks, Tinder, your feed - become who you always wanted to be. Whoever you are now. Wherever you want to be. We like to tease, so you will be sure to know which digital fashion products have this extra kick. We are all for digital fashion's superpower to boost self-expression and invite you to a new era of shopping."
© 2023 HYPEWEAR
HYPEWORLD - Hypewear
In the following days, we will talk to more founders and dig deeper into what really turns us on about digital fashion--- including Republiq's admirable ethos as shared by James Gaubert