🕶 Metaproof Fashion

Gm fashionistas! This is Sophia from 🕶 Metaproof Fashion, the weekly newsletter where we keep you informed on how the metaverse & web3 are changing the fashion industry.

Stay informed via our Twitter and Subscribe here to get your metaverse fashion news every Tuesday!

💌 A quick thanks to our friends…

This edition is sponsored by the OG metaverse fashion peeps The Fabricant. They have been deep down the metaverse fashion rabbit hole since 2018 and are pioneers in every sense of the word. They are on a mission to change the fashion industry and are making great progress - check them out today!

📲 By the numbers

• Digital fashion is on the rise. With 47% of consumers interested in virtual clothes and 87% having already purchased some form of digital fashion, this shift is taking the industry by storm. (Source)

• Despite the fact that about 60% of luxury purchases are affected by digital channels, businesses in this area are lagging behind in terms of innovation. According to BCG's Luxury Outlook 2022 research, the luxury industry ranks 7th in overall innovativeness, and 65% of luxury customers feel the industry is trailing others when it comes to digital. Nearly 7 out of 10 respondents believe that the internet experience provided by businesses falls short of the in-store experience. (Source)

📫 News & trends

👜 Hermes vs Metabirkins: Do you know how to protect your brand in the metaverse?

Hermes versus Metabirkins is now considered a landmark case, and the luxury fashion house’s victory in this first-ever trial examining NFT via an intellectual property nexus legal case will closely determine succeeding outcomes.

The case: Artist Mason Rothschild’s 100 Metabirkins, a type of NFT inspired by the iconic Birkin handbag of Hermès, raised legal issues related to intellectual property rights and trademark infringement. The ruling: The jury trial in the Southern District of NY ruled that Rothschild had infringed on the trademark protections of Hermès. What laws then govern digital fashion goods?

• Trademark registration

• Copyright protection

• Licensing agreements

• Monitoring and enforcement

• Working with metaverse communities

These laws are complex and constantly evolving, and we’ll be watching the space closely for how brands will protect their IP (and brand premium) in the metaverse.

❤️ The Sandbox unveils ‘Parisland’ Valentine’s Day experience in the metaverse

Love is in the air and what better way to celebrate than in the virtual world! Decentralized gaming virtual world The Sandbox and entertainment company 11:11 Media have joined forces to host a Valentine's Day event in the metaverse. Celebrity and fashion personality Paris Hilton, hosts the in-game dating reality show, which will take place on a tropical island. This promises to be a fun and unique way to celebrate love this year and an adventure in the virtual world like never before.

The Sandbox offers players the opportunity to create and play games, explore, and socialize in a virtual world. 11:11 Media, on the other hand, is a global entertainment company founded by Paris Hilton and entertainment industry veteran Bruce Gersh. With their combined expertise, this Valentine's Day event promises to be one of the most exciting and innovative in the virtual realm.

🤩 Introducing Astraverse: Black-led startup building the first play-to-wear fashion metaverse

Astraverse.xyz is revolutionizing the digital fashion experience with its “Play-to-Wear'” concept in the metaverse. The team of black designers and digital artists, which has received grants from Epic Games and Meta and has attracted a 100+ brand waitlist and grown their community to 20k members, is building a gamified retail experience where physical and digital fashion blend seamlessly, and fashion pieces can be won through proprietary games. The goal: to create a sustainable fashion platform for the next generation of retail shoppers.

The Astraverse team has plans for several partnerships in the coming years, including a launch with a global retailer. The team will be releasing its first Play-to-Wear event, the Astra Mystery Box Challenge, in February at NFT Paris, where players can win apparels from partnered brands through games on Astraverse.

The digital fashion industry is growing, with notable collaborations from Ralph Lauren on Fortnite, Burberry on Minecraft, and Blankos Block Party and Dior in Gran Turismo 7. Astraverse's mission to bring physicality to the e-commerce experience is deemed a step toward the future of fashion retail.

❄️ Vivienne Tam’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection brings the metaverse to life

Vivienne Tam is a fashion designer recognized for fusing Eastern and Western aesthetics in her collections, and her current work is no exception. Tam is using the metaverse to infuse history and humanity to her designs as the fashion industry embraces virtual reality.

Oracle Bone Scripture, an ancient arrangement of Chinese letters thought to be the world's earliest Chinese texts, is featured in the Fall/Winter 2023 collection. Tam's use of this ancient script demonstrates her dedication to incorporating "history and compassion" into the virtual world, which is frequently absent in this new frontier. Tam's runway presentation will provide the audience with a metaverse experience:

• Guests will enter a space meant to appear like Spring Studios, then go through a step-and-repeat for VIPs before entering the show space, which will have big windows overlooking the runway.

• They will be allowed to walk backstage after the event to see the inspiration board and images of the models in their runway outfits.

💃 Coco Rocha transforms herself in avant-garde digital fashion

The digital fashion editorial collaborated on by Altorrin, Petros Kouiouris, and renowned model Coco Rocha is a testament to the growing trend of digital fashion and the creative talent that is adapting to the new digital environment. With the rise of virtual reality and the metaverse, designers and artists are experimenting with new forms of expression, pushing the boundaries of traditional fashion and creating innovative new works that captivate and inspire.

The latest project, which seeks to evoke emotion through digital garments is an avant-garde and captivating fashion spread. It also highlights the technical and creative challenges faced by photographers and stylists in a digital world. For Petros Kouiouris, this was his first digital CGI photoshoot, and he noted that the lighting techniques required were different from what he was used to. However, he was inspired by the potential of this new form of fashion photography to bring emotions and feelings to life.

🙌 BCBGMaxAzria to present its recent collaboration with stylist Maeve Reilly on a metaverse runway

Fashion aficionados and virtual world enthusiasts are in for a treat as fashion house BCBGMaxAzria and celebrity stylist Maeve Reilly collaborate to bring their latest partnership to the metaverse. The virtual runway show, which will be featured throughout New York Fashion Week (NYFW), promises to be a spectacular experience for everyone who attends.

The metaverse is becoming an increasingly popular venue for fashion businesses to present their collections, since it allows them to reach and engage with a larger audience. This virtual runway show is no different, as fans can look forward to a collection that retails online for $198 to $428 and includes minimalist menswear-inspired tailoring, eveningwear, mini dresses and floor-length maxi dresses.

🇦🇮 Prompt fashion designed by AI

The fashion industry is no stranger to change and innovation, and the combination of the metaverse and artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a new era of digital fashion. The fashion business is discovering new methods to attract and engage customers as the metaverse provides a virtual environment for gaming, networking, and creative expression.

The use of AI to produce fresh graphics from basic text prompts is an interesting breakthrough in the fashion business. This offers up new opportunities for designers to employ AI to develop designs, prototypes, and final items in a timely manner. This provides a new language for fashion, and the potential for AI to help define the industry's future proves enormous.

🏃‍♂️Quick hits

• 8SIAN, in partnership with VOGUE SINGAPORE, is celebrating Valentine's Day by launching a Love Chain NFT set that couples can purchase and share. Each NFT, priced at 0.022 ETH, will contain two unique designs, allowing the holder to gift one to a loved one. The goal is to immortalize relationships through this special NFT gift.

• Madame Fashion, an Indian luxury womenswear brand, is set to open its first store in the metaverse through Trace Network Labs' Pariz fashion and lifestyle platform. The MetaStore will offer a unique shopping experience, allowing customers to try on products through their digital twin avatars with just a click.

• Tacoma business owner, Richard Sjouwke, is merging physical pop-up locations with the metaverse to connect with customers in a unique and innovative way. Sjouwke is opening a virtual world, All-Star Vintage, for customers to browse vintage clothes and discover musical and visual artists.

• PacSun, teen apparel retailer, is promoting its spring 2023 collection through a multi-channel campaign that includes social media, gaming, and live streaming. The campaign emphasizes the use of an unfiltered lens captured on an iPhone and encourages consumers to share their own images using the hashtag #PacSpring23 for a chance to be featured on PacSun's social media pages.

• Celebverse, a virtual world dedicated to Adam & Eve, has launched its VR Apparel Store and Night Club. The state-owned digital city serves as a hub for international celebrities, brands, and users and offers a unique opportunity to explore the potential of virtual reality. A total of 100 plots of land in Celebverse have been reserved for famous people worldwide, and users have access to a variety of features, including "celeb cities," "celeb events," "celeb fashion shows," "virtual meet and greet," and

💸 Finance buzz

• LA-based hardware and infrastructure company Spatial Labs raised $10M in seed funding to keep building upon its blockchain-enabled technology and increase its reach in the consumer goods landscape. Its first product, the LNQ or “wearable internet,” offers buyer and seller authentication as well as complete transparency into a product’s lifecycle for brands and retailers to reach and engage with their core audience. (Source)

• Vivienne Tam picked Vatom as its strategic partner to bring to life an immersive metaverse experience at NYFW, leveraging its integrated easy-to-use wallet, seamless connection of live virtual and real event spaces, and ability to host thousands of people in the same space at the same time. (Source)

🗣️ Quote of the week

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All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse.

Stay informed via our Twitter and Subscribe here to get your metaverse fashion news every Tuesday.