Diesel launches digital clothing for Meta avatars with DressX
Fashion favorite Buzzy Gen-Z is launching an exclusive collection on the Meta Avatars store in collaboration with digital fashion house DressX.
The Italian denim-focused brand, helmed by creative director Glenn Martens, joins the store’s existing luxury lineup, which includes the likes of Valentino, Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Browne.
The collection features 10 iconic Diesel shapes that reflect the brand’s physical presentation in store. As such, buyers will be able to dress their avatar in the brand’s signature denim jackets, jeans, and sneakers while sporting their look on Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Quest VR. The first batch of five looks will be released today, September 14, with the second collection to follow later this year.
“This collaboration with DressX represents an exciting chapter for Diesel and signals its commitment to integrating technology with fashion,” said Stefano Russo, Member of the Board of Directors of Diesel’s parent OTB Group and CEO of OTB’s Metaverse BVX division.
Diesel being the first OTB group brand to enter the store makes sense, given the brand’s previous moves around the metaverse as well as its own NFT projects.
“Diesel was the first of our brands to have a presence in the virtual space,” Russo said. Decryption. “We’ve started several NFT projects in the past year, and it’s very much in line with the brand’s DNA.”
Indeed, the news keeps coming Diesel’s latest NFT drop on Tuesday with public pressure on the music NFT market. It included 300 digital collectibles minted via Polkadot and Polygon, and each NFT came with access to the brand’s upcoming runway show at Milan Fashion Week.
“We believe that virtual space will be the future of fashion for many reasons,” Russo said. “It allows brands to push the boundaries of their creativity, it’s a new way to engage with younger generations, and it’s by definition more sustainable than making real-life clothing.”
Russo added that Diesel’s goal “for the future (is) to develop items that are exclusive to our virtual presence only.” But he also stressed the importance of a 360-degree approach, where the brand’s physical and digital outputs are aligned – hence the choice of looks that belong to the latest Martens collection currently available in store.
Russo is also optimistic about augmented reality (AR) as a vector for digital fashion.
“I think augmented reality is really going to change the game,” he said. “The arrival of revolutionary masks could really allow people to see virtual clothing on people walking down the street in the future.”
Right now, he says, digital fashion “represents a great tool for experimenting with a brand’s presence in new creative ways” – but going forward, “it could become a revenue stream in the future, once technology and adoption reach widespread levels.”
Drisks, who It raised a $15 million Series A round in Marchalready had its own merchandising collection for sale in the Meta Avatars store as of last year, along with collaborations with real-world brands.
“We are committed to delivering a world-class experience to digitally native customers developing avatar commerce,” Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modinova, founders of DressX, said in a statement. “Together, we are bridging the gap between physical and digital fashion, offering fashion lovers an immersive and innovative experience.”
