What is ‘Phygital’ and How Does it Relate to Metaverse Fashion?

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Web3 Fashion Creators Around the Internet Are Bringing Phygital Wearables to Market

The metaverse (and more broadly web3) is often criticized for lacking real utility. More recently, web3 projects are working hard to combat the do-nothing narrative and bring digital communities to life through physical products and experiences.

"Phygital" is a term used to describe the blending of the physical and digital worlds. This term applies to many sectors, but it is often used in the context of fashion. Phygital fashion refers to the trend of incorporating digital elements into traditional fashion design.

Think of an NFT shoe that lives on the blockchain, but you can also buy an identical physical pair online tied to the NFT smart contract address and ship it to your house to wear out to the club.

In the past few months, major web3 communities like Deadfellaz have partnered with legacy brands to turn NFT creative property into physical merch. But ‘phygital’ takes physical merch a step further, allowing digital metaverse wearables to double as physical clothing items.

A brief history of phygital

The term "phygital" was first coined by WIRED magazine in 2004, and has since been used to describe a variety of different concepts and technologies. Phygital can literally be anything digital that manifests itself in the physical realm. This can be done in a number of different ways, such as using digital printing to create patterns and designs on fabric or using LED lights to create illuminated garments.

Phygital fashion is often seen as a way to bring traditional fashion into the digital age. By incorporating digital elements into traditional fashion design, phygital fashion allows for a more interactive and personalized experience for the wearer. Additionally, phygital fashion can also be used to create garments that are not possible to create using traditional methods.

Examples of phygital fashion

One example of a phygital fashion design is the RTFTK x Nike Cryptokicks collaboration. Nike purchased RTFK back in December 2021 and is helping turn their virtual sneaker design into physical pairs.

Back in August, the notorious Tiffany’s sold out custom Cryptopunk “NFTiff” pendants for $50,000 each. Cryptopunks is one of the first NFT projects ever created, and their partnership with Tiffany’s shows the web3 industry’s push toward working with more legacy brands that create both physical products and non-crypto goods and assets.

As we alluded to at the beginning of the article, Deadfellaz partnered with Wrangler recently to launch a pair of denim jeans field by Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology. The NFC tech allows denim wearers to scan a QR code on their jeans that traces back to an on-chain NFT. Plus, the jeans have a sick design that incorporates the signature Deadfellaz PFP.

The future of fashion is digital → physical

RLTY partnered with leading fashion house The Fabricant and World of Women last month to celebrate digital fashion. While The Fabricant is primarily digital (with no physical component), the 3-day event offered a lot of insights into the future trajectory of the fashion industry.

In the future, all early concepts and even post-market launches and releases will take digital form, with physical components only being created for those convinced they want a pair. As The Fabricant has duly noted regarding sustainability efforts, this can have a major impact on eliminating waste and reducing the energy production that fashion supply chains currently require to fill up millions of shelves around the world.

Phygital fashion is a trend that is here to stay and is only going to become more popular in the years to come. As technology advances, so too will the ways in which it can be incorporated into traditional fashion design. So, what does the future of fashion hold? Only time will tell.

About RLTY — The Metaverse Event Company

RLTY is a collective of Metaverse early adopters, contributing to this growing ecosystem with an infrastructure for building virtual events with a suite of easy-to-use tools. We partner with event organizers across all industries (Music, Arts, Conference, Fashion, and Corporate).

The platform is leveraging the most advanced technologies to continually reimagine the boundaries of virtual worlds. Their commitment is to enhance the accessibility and experience across all Metaverse platforms.

RLTY was launched in January 2022 by Raphaël Assouline (co-founder of Geronimo Agency) and Zack Sabban (co-founder of Festicket & Event Genius).

For more information, visit https://rlty.live/ and follow the regular updates on Linkedin, Twitter, Medium, and Instagram.

This article is hosted on our Medium blog.
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