I believe that the ’20s has the potential to become the decade known for game-changing retail innovation. Technologically, the jump is already proving to be having a huge influence in some parts of the industry, like retail and manufacturing. So hold on tight, because the fashion industry is not only destined but is already becoming more intelligent and more automatic, making now the perfect time for fashion businesses to dream big.
Why It’s Time For Fashion To Dream Big
I am excited and ready for the ’20s to be the decade that drastically changes the way we shop. I am not talking about whether we use plastic shopping bags or not; I am thinking more along the lines of having a subscription to your favourite store just like we do for Netflix or Prime. Can you imagine that for a monthly price, you will be able to “rent” your wardrobe essentials every season? The objective will be that you won’t actually own anything. Make sense? Ok, let us take it a step further, imagine your wardrobe being accessible via an app, that shows you precisely what is in your closet. With the click of a button, you will have easy access to the brands you subscribe too, all in one place.
Sounds too far fetched? Maybe, but a lot of the tech things we have now seemed quite far fetched once-upon-a-time. A great example is the ’90s versus ’00s. We went from chunky computers powered by Windows 95 to touch screen phones and smart TVs. This is proof that change is a good thing and one brand that is attempting to bring change to how we shop is Farfetch. In a recent GQ article, Cam Wolf wrote that “Farfetch Wants to Be the Netflix of Fashion”. Considered by some to be ahead of competitors like Net-a-Porter and the Amazon-owned Shopbop, Wolf explained how founder Jose Neves “really wants his customers to browse the platform like they do Netflix—grazing over it until they find something worth investing in”. Neves told Wolf that customers love Netflix, not because its catalogue of pre-existing shows but because it’s “brought to life new formats, new directors, new actresses and actors, and reinvented an entire industry.”
Neves could be onto something. He seems to recognise that change will be mainly driven by the consumer. This is because today’s customer is looking for experiences that are capable of redefining what it means to own something. With advances in technology growing by the season, brands have the opportunity to bring a whole new experience to the table that allows consumers to trying new styles and trends, confident that they can return what they do not like. It is the kind of freedom we currently experience with subscriptions like Netflix, too watch an entire season or not is now the question.
Right Now, The Future of Fashion is “Phygital”
Bringing it back to a change that is taking place today, I recently had the pleasure of meeting Marije de Roos. She is the woman behind the fashion tech company Positive Fibers, a startup that offers the digitally savvy the cleanest way to great design and the consumer the opportunity to dress up and share their looks online.
“The Pandemic has had a positive impact on the environment but a negative one on society”, shared de Roos. “To bring light in times of darkness, Positive Fibers has launched their first campaign to celebrate great design made in the cleanest ways possible, starting with a digital dressing experience for Millennials like myself”, she added.
de Roos believes that the future of fashion is a combination of circular (physical) clothing offered through a digital experience. She refers to this as Physical + Digital = Phygital, a mantra she stands by. With a vision to start a revolution that puts the ECO into Ecommerce, Positive Fibers introduces a new theory called impact consumption. de Roos explains: “This is when every product comes with a special checkout button to empower customers to purchase with purpose”.
In the Business of Providing the Cleanest Way to Great Design
With plans to launch a limited edition of digital clothes available only for the Selfie, Positive Fibers, which was founded in August 2020, is has been busy marrying the worlds of Art, Science, and Technology. de Roos has been achieving her objectives with the help of emerging digital fashion designer María Ruano and others.
Working to radically reduce the amount of waste created in the traditional process, de Roos’ unique approach is that everything is rendered. “It looks photorealistic and gives the user an idea of what they would look like in reality”, explained the founder. “Moreover, in the near future, every digital outfit can be made in reality in the most circular way possible, giving back to nature more than we borrow”, she concluded.
Styling Your Current Lockdown Look, Sustainably
Positive Fibers’ Dressing Your-Selfie requires nothing more than taking a mirror selfie wearing something comfortable; like your current lockdown look. Although the garments are available for a limited time only, every week de Roos promises new pieces of wearable art (what the designs are called) are going to be launched in collaboration with emerging 3D fashion designers. “Digital garments fit everybody. No need to share your size. Our 3D tailors fit your new look to your picture making it fit like a glove,” announced the founder last week.
The Digital Dressing Experience takes about 2-5 days from the moment a look is purchased to be “composited” onto one’s submitted mirror selfie. It is also worth noting that Positive Fibers’ will, for every purchase made, donate $15 to the organization SeaTrees by SustainableSurf. They are a charity on a mission to plant 1 million sea trees to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and eradicate ocean pollution.
Pssst, if you are ready to shop the future, then Positive Fibers is offering 30% off until 31st December 2020. No need for a promo code.
Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.