Welcome back to Now Runway, where we report from the front lines of the digital fashion and luxury revolution. Today we’re writing to you from the hot, hot, hot climate of an Ibiza summer where fashion takes a back seat to being comfortable – except in the club, where the peacock method of dressing is in full effect.
This is a monumental week for digital fashion as Christies And Gucci have taken the genre to new heights. Read on to see what else you missed this week, including meta through avatars Maison Valentino And LG Uplus entering the digital fashion business.
Christies and Gucci
Christie’s and Gucci have teamed up to present a new auction, Future Frequencies: Explorations in Generative Art and Fashion. This joint venture highlights some of today’s leading figures in digital art, featuring a diverse range of artists with a specialized emphasis on generative systems and artificial intelligence.
The auction will feature 21 NFTs, including works by notable artists such as Claire Silver, Emily Kusano, Emily Xi, William Mapan, Zak Lieberman, bone, Helen Sarina, dripand more.
Each artist’s work innovatively delves into the confluence of fashion, art and technology and spans themes from generative textile studies to algorithmic renderings of the iconic Gucci Bamboo 1947 handle. This interweaving of autonomous systems, AI and fashion means a fusion of different ecosystems – superimposing the fashion industry, which focuses on designing and producing clothes, on the realm of generative art and artificial intelligence that uses algorithms, modeling and data use it to human-like intelligence and artistic production.
“I am very proud to present two works: Shinjitai, made in collaboration with Emi Kusano for Gucci, and style modern, a solo piece for Christie’s,” Silver said in a press release. “Shinjitai, which translates to ‘new character forms,’ is wearable art that uses AI to fuse Gucci’s legendary aesthetic with the spirit of Harajuku fashion.”
“Combining AI, 3D, film and advanced math functions with antique paintings and tapestries from China, Japan and Eastern and Western Europe, both works are intended to celebrate the era of AI: the refinement of experience, the innocent joy of the new, the depth of cultural heritage and the light of the future. In the spirit of our digital + physical world, both works contain physical components for their collectors – from rolls of cloth to hologram displays.
The auction will be held on Christie’s 3.0, their on-chain auction platform, and the works will be featured on Gucci Art Space, an online gallery founded by Gucci that serves to highlight and empower artists. The auction will take place from 18 to 25 July 2023.
Maison Valentino
Maison Valentino has become the most recent high-end brand to design digital fashion styles for Meta’s avatars. Starting today, individuals can design their own avatars that can be accessed through Meta platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and Meta virtual reality experiences, featuring six fully branded outfits inspired by Valentino’s latest collection.
With prices typically ranging from $2.99 to $8.99 for designer items, Meta is partnering with the brand on revenue sharing, though the exact percentages and prices of Valentino’s pieces are not disclosed.
In a press release, Valentino expressed his intent to explore the potential of digital apparel as “a step forward toward commerce in the metaverse.” This sentiment was mirrored and reinforced within digital communities in the US, cultivating an inclusive ethos.
LG Uplus Corp
LG Uplus Corp., a mobile network operator under the umbrella of LG Corporation in South Korea, has launched its own Metaverse fashion marketplace. This digital clothing platform will host the sale of physical products in a physical store.
LG Uplus’s newly established Metaverse marketplace for fashion has been named Meta Slap and will officially launch this month. The creation of this platform is part of the company’s strategy to grow its metaverse commerce within the fashion sector.
LG Uplus, Z-Emotion and Ation Fashion will open and jointly manage the Meta Slap clothing store starting this month. Z-Emotion makes simulation-based costume production software and Ation Fashion is a South Korean textile and apparel maker that owns the popular casual brand Polham. Through the virtual store, customers can buy clothes, accessories and other fashion-related items.
After making purchases in the metaverse, customers will receive links to claim their physical items. In the near future, LG Uplus Corp., Ation Fashion and Z-Emotion are planning to launch an AI-powered fitting room that will allow shoppers to virtually try on their selected items before purchasing them offline.