In a nearly empty office in West Roxbury, half a dozen sneakers sit on a large conference table. They come in a variety of colors. One pair is patterned after the bright blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. Another mimics the pattern of a red and white bandana.
The shoes are the latest designs from Stephanie Howard. After more than 25 years working for apparel giants like Nike and New Balance, she co-founded her own company, Endstate, last year.
On the tongue of each Endstate sneaker is a chip that Howard scans with a smartphone. The screen reveals the digital version of the shoe, in what’s known as an NFT, or non-fungible token. NFTs represent assets in the digital world.
The code shows that “its status is authentic and that I own that NFT that’s tangled up with the shoe,” Howard explained.
Endstate co-founder Stephanie Howard at the company’s office is in West Roxbury. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Virtual shoes are an important part of Endstate’s business model. The company’s founders believe that all high-end products of the future will come with virtual companions.
“That digital counterparty has many, many things that it can bring to you as a customer,” Howard said. On the one hand, the digital sneakers act as tickets to real-life events that the company organizes, such as parties or conferences.
“Those same pieces will open up experiences for me as an individual that no other fashion item I’ve ever bought has been able to,” said Gregory Molinar, who recently bought a pair of Endstate sneakers and several others. digital clothing.
For Molinar, who lives in Fall River, digital fashion is a way to build community and meet others who share her interest in emerging technologies. Some digital garments also allow you to participate in the design process.
“We can actually vote on what colors we want this shirt to look like, or what color laces we should put on these shoes.” he said.
But there’s another reason companies like Endstate, as well as legacy brands like Nike, Gucci and Prada, are making virtual apparel.
A QR code on a pair of Endstate shoes will allow you to place the shoes anywhere in the environment around you in augmented reality. Point your phone’s camera at it and try it out. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Our digital lives are becoming more sophisticated. And as more social gatherings take place online, the experience is evolving into something more immersive. Musicians like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande have already held concerts in the so-called “metaverse,” a term for the 3D virtual world that some enthusiasts believe will be the future of the Internet.
Molinar sees what could come in the way his children live their digital lives. When her daughter turned 8 years old this year, she asked for money to buy digital props for her favorite virtual game.
“They already do,” Molinar said. “If you tell them, ‘Hey, you can play this game, you can buy these different digital accessories, and you can buy these shoes,’ they’ve already been doing it, so it’s going to be normal for them.”
In June, the company Meta (formerly Facebook) announced the launch of an online store where you can pay real money for digital outfits. Nike has also created a virtual world where you can play and design your avatar with virtual Nike gear.
For designers like Afsha Iragorri, this extension of fashion into the digital realm presents an opportunity. Not long after Iragorri graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, she founded her own 3D fashion company.
“This makes things limitless for me,” he said. “I can absolutely do whatever I want in 3D.”
One of her creations is a bright red dress with flared sleeves and a long flowing scarf. On the front, black beads form the shape of a skull, evoking images of a punk rock Virgin Mary.
Iragorri’s dress is unlikely to be made in the real world any time soon. But she could have a life, and find a market, in digital.
Some companies, such as Croatian brand Tribute, already sell digital clothing that customers can overlay on their social media images.
Iragorri thinks fashion-conscious consumers could start to see this as an eco-friendly alternative to “fast fashion,” the brands that churn out tons of cheap, trendy clothes.
“Instead of them liking Zara and buying 20 outfits, maybe they’ll say, ‘You know what? I can cut back on that kind of lifestyle,'” Iragorri said. “Maybe I’ll represent myself more with my avatar and buy these digital clothes…and that’s how I can express myself.”
Endstate’s Howard acknowledges that the idea of dressing for the virtual world may still sound far-fetched to many people. But with advances in virtual reality, he thinks it will become more ubiquitous.
“Right now, we communicate online on a flat screen, and the technology is being built to make it feel more like you’re in the presence of others,” Howard said. “So why wouldn’t your fashion and products that you love go into that space with you?”
Source: news.google.com