The Materiality of Virtual Fashion By Tyla Stevenson

Abstract

Digital fashion, a burgeoning intersection of digital media and the fashion industry, consists of 3D-modeled garments and accessories that are represented through digital environments such as metaverses, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and sold or authenticated using non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Unlike physical fashion, these digital items do not exist in conventional material form and are not designed for physical wear, shifting the pictorial representation of fashion from digital photography to computer-generated imagery (CGI). This paper critically examines discourses surrounding digital fashion and the perceptions of immateriality as well as common associations between technological advancement and political and social progress. These discourses are often framed by technological determinism, which positions the rise of digital worlds as inevitable, and presents innovation as a natural response to historical developments. The aim of this paper is to highlight the materiality of digital fashion which arises from the engagement between physical bodies and digital spaces. Furthermore, this process relies on physical infrastructures, from technological hardware and servers to the environmental impacts tied to its circulation and storage, and is further shaped by the software and platforms that enable its production and use. This study provides a framework to engage critically with digital fashion’s conceptual and material dimensions, offering insight into its evolving role in the larger discourse on technology and culture as virtual spaces continue to expand.