NFT Paris 2024 illuminated the converging paths of fashion, gaming, and blockchain, showcasing a vibrant ecosystem of innovation. At the heart of the dialogue was the integration of AI-generated UGC tools, connected products and phygital fashion. 

Despite the cold Paris wind, it felt like fashion was heating up its integration into the ecosystem of gaming and blockchain. During the 22/23^rd Feb, the blockchain, NFT, fashion tech community descended on Paris to discuss the newest trends and to attend numerous side events and activations.

The Rise of User-Generated Content and Creation

Brands and gaming companies are increasingly utilizing AI-generated UGC (user-generated content) tools, placing the customer and their creativity at the forefront. Morgan Evans, the manager of gaming & Web3 for PVH spoke on this at the Future Fashion Summit, which is an expertly curated event focused on connecting leaders from the international luxury fashion houses with digital brands, founded and curated by Holly Wood.

“We are at the intersection of fashion and gaming,” Evans explained. “Gaming is a way for us to create a DTC (direct to customer) pipeline.” The fact that 80% of Tommy Hilfiger’s business is wholesale means they are further away from their customer, so this is a great way for them to engage directly without damaging their wholesale business.

“Tommy Hilfiger has now achieved 50 million visits in Roblox and UGC is a way for us to let creators create using our IP, to explore new narratives and for us to gain customer acquisition,” explained Evans.

In the past most fashion brands have tried to control their IP as much as possible, but the approach to open up IP to the creator economy, giving control to the creator has proved positive and increased sales for Tommy Hilfiger. We are no longer living in a closed environment, where creative directors are depicting trends, AI driven UGC tools now enable creators to design and monetise in a virtual environment.

The Sandbox empowers creators and positions itself as fashion leader

Digital Fashion Week collaborated with The Sandbox to create an immersive catwalk experience that seamlessly tied together digital and physical assets. Featured designers such as Kaimin, Ecoolska, Jessica Evans, Stephen Vineburg, House of Bartholomew, Phygicode, Right Direction, and Wyld Flwr showcased captivating animated storytelling videos during their catwalk presentations. These assets are now being transformed into gaming wearables, available for purchase and use within The Sandbox gaming platform.

The partnership between The Sandbox and Digital Fashion Week signifies a monumental step towards the fusion of phygital fashion. As highlighted in our interview with The Sandbox COO and co-founder Sebastien Borget: “The Sandbox is focusing on how to empower anyone to be a creator.  We want to be at the forefront of culture and gaming,” said Borget.  

With its focus on empowering creators with AI generated UGC tools, The Sandbox stands as a transformative force in the digital fashion landscape. “The next big designer will emerge from a platform like The Sandbox, with their customers recognising them as the next big brand.”

This is validated by initiatives like the Art of Runway and collaborations with Digital Fashion Week, 3D designers, known as voxel creators, can present their creations for sale in the game, gaining exposure to a different audience and garnering the opportunity to monetise from their creations whilst growing their digital community.  

The opportunities are immense, “Imagine a game where the more quests you complete, the bigger your wings grew, the more power your backpack has,” said Borget. Play to wear, play to earn. Imagination and creativity can be exerted and realised to its full potential within an immersive environment. 

Whilst neither The Sandbox or Tommy Hilfiger are planning to create physical products from the UGC designs, yet, the potential for the next Vivienne Westwood to be born in gaming, to gain thousands of followers and launch their own brand, is beginning to look more and more likely.

Stephy Fung unveiled inaugural digital & physical collection

One digital designer on this path is Stephy Fung, a renowned digital fashion artist, educator & content creator who is part of the Syky collective. Fung unveiled her inaugural collection at NFT Paris.

Speaking at NFT Paris, Fung explained how she is a digital-first, physical-second brand and moving into the physical space has taught her discipline with design. “What I have learnt is with my physical designs I need to pull back sometimes, it’s not as easy as making a hoodie and making a logo in the middle, that’s not what my brand is about.” Fung who partnered with PhygitalTwin to make the physical piece, explained that the magic only happens when the digital and physical piece blend seamlessly together.

The “Four Dragons” designs are available for sale as NFTs on the Syky platform with one phygital item. Fung stressed the significance of merging the fashion industry with Web3 technologies, underscoring its paramount importance.

Luxury Reinvents for Crypto Culture

The rise of connected products during NFT Paris was very apparent. Gmoney held centre court with his pioneering Web3 luxury fashion house 9dCC. The 54 piece luxury fashion collection, many of which are being sold as “one of ones,” is aimed at the crypto guys who have money to spend but do not feel entirely comfortable in traditional luxury stores.

All products feature near-field communication (NFC) chips linked to Ethereum NFTs, which is a testament to Gmoney’s vision of creating not just clothing, but “Networked Products” that offer a unique connected experience for the consumer. 

The digital component provides exclusive entry into the 9DCC ecosystem, which offers networking opportunities, unique content, and experiences including the chance to play exclusive games and the ability to create and collection personalised POAPS enriching the value of owners beyond the mere physical item. 

Another example of a connected product emerged with Wrangler’s innovative launch on February 22, showcased at the Future Fashion Summit in Paris. In collaboration with MNTGE, the digital wearables brand built around vintage clothing. Wrangler breathed new life into vintage jackets, offering them a fresh lease on style and authenticity. The integration of NFC tags allows for traceability and access to exclusive content, enriching the customer experience and underscoring Wrangler’s commitment to blending tradition with innovation in the fashion industry. 

With NFC chips enabling scanning throughout their lifetime, customers embark on an immersive journey into Wrangler’s heritage, further deepening their connection with the brand and its timeless pieces.

The Rise of Immersive Storytelling

Lastly, just as we see that it is not enough to have a standalone digital or physical brand now, not only do the garments benefit from being connected but customers expect immersive storytelling. FUTURE FRONT ROW did an incredible job of showcasing how holograms can support creators and brands by digitising the designs and showcasing them in a theatrical setting, allowing customers to be immersed in a vision that goes beyond the clothes. The hologram shows are at least 50% cheaper than a fashion show, is this the future of the new fashion shows? 

Each year the technology enabling fashion has leapt further forward, it is now the turn of the designers and innovative creators to really test the boundaries of what can be worn digitally and physically. This is fashion’s new frontier…

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Louise Laing is Founder of PhygitalTwin, pioneering the Future of Fashion and transforming digital concepts into tangible fashion with real-time customization. Leading the way in Web3 and ESG innovation.