Phygital Fashion: Can Digital Clothing Lead to More Eco-Conscious Consumers?
Retail purchases, especially in fashion, are often made on impulse (the so-called ‘vanity shopping’), which has a detrimental effect on the planet. For instance, Australians usually send 23 kilograms of textile to landfill per annum, whereas the average US citizen – around 37 kilograms. However, recreating the experience — the joy of shopping — in the digital space can provide consumers with the same positive experiences but with a reduced carbon footprint.
According to Indre Viltrakyte, leading the Web 3 fashion venture The Rebels, digital alternatives will play an especially important role for the younger generation, too. They will be able to experiment with their self-expression journeys in the digital realm, without resorting to impromptu shopping and wasteful consumption – values most prominent among their peers.
A digital foot-in-the-door
Phygital fashion refers to real-life clothing items having ‘digital twins’, which, same as their physical counterparts, can be owned and traded. Viltrakyte shared that the two-way bridge between the real and the digital will be key in bringing more sustainability into the industry, as well as creating an ecosystem where you get meaningful rewards for using items longer and more responsibly.
“Each year billions of clothing items are produced and, unfortunately, a significant chunk of them only gather dust before they eventually end up in the landfill,” she commented. “But what if we could redirect people’s interest in newness and passion for updating their wardrobe to the digital realm? By enabling the consumer to experience the same emotions — joy, happiness, excitement — of wearing what they love in the virtual space, the shopper can cater to the same impulses without the planet having to bear the costs.”
Viltrakyte believes that phygital items are the transitional step for the fashion industry that will encourage the public to take a keener interest in the digital space. Having recently launched the genesis collection ‘The Rebels: From the Underground’, she continues to explore the synergy between the physical and virtual fashion.
