Virtual Fashion [Part 2]: The Designers

In my previous post I discussed how ordinary people acted as both gamers and designers. Not surprisingly, the fashion world has taken note of this virtual phenomenon. International retailer, H&M has partnered with The Sims 2. This gives H&M the license to dress the virtual characters. Likewise, players can buy these same outfits for themselves in H&M stores, but they can build H&M stores and participate in a virtual runway competition where they actually design the clothes (www.ipapier.com).
This type of “fashion model” partnership isn’t just exclusive to The Sims however. Brands such as Lacoste, Gucci, Aveda, and American Apparel have teamed up with Second Life, an online virtual world, to sell virtual items for the avatars, (or personalized virtual identities).

Although cyber fashion counters the idea that fashion should be tangible and physically accessible, it does add another dimension to the brands that participate. It shows relevance to the gamers/players and flexibility. I think a lot of todays up and coming young people, particularly gamers, appreciate the fact that they can find their favorite brand online, and—even better—put it on their personalized avatar. A designer is only successful if he or she can appeal to their target audience. Today’s designers would do well to look into the possibilities of virtual fashion.

Virtual Fashion [Part 1]: The Amateurs

My 17-year old sister is addicted to playing the Sims. She play for five hours at a time, and when she’s banned from playing she spends all her time feverishly downloading new Sims accessories for when she can play again. This girl is absolutely obsessed!

I’m not opposed to spending time on the computer; I too have my own little semi-addictions. I tried the Sims and I was exhausted after building my first house. I just can’t get into playing a game that never ends, but there are others that can, and will go all day. Some of these dedicated Simaholics are also responsible for the creation of other Sims that players can go online and download. Players use the “custom content” feature to create not only Sims, but outfits for the characters. This has particular appeal to brand-conscious people like my sister who will readily download skinny jeans, Abercrombie & Fitch® shirts, and revealing Guess® tank tops. Such things, she claims, do not exist in the standard Sims dress collection.

Under custom content, players are able to become designers, adopting established fashion brands and recreating a similar look for virtual people. How utterly annoyed designers must feel to see their brands being recreated by the likes of rank amateurs….or perhaps not. The fact that ordinary people want to recreate these fashionable looks on virtual people reflect how they themselves value the brand. Being a virtual designer gives these Sims players an opportunity to recreate their favorite looks or even invent new styles they can share with others. How cool and democratic is that?! That’s seems like something worth obsessing about!

Networking for Aspiring Designers

For budding designers trying to break into the fashion industry—not an easy task by any means—exposure and timing is crucial. Fashion expos, social networking, and word-of-mouth advertising are just a few of the things that must be taken advantage of. If a designer is especially fortunate, he or she may have the opportunity to showcase his or her work in a professional show. This happens to be the case of some local student designers I spoke to. Thanks to a generous grant, ten fashion students at Syracuse University have the opportunity to go to get their work presented at a professional runway show in New York City. I can only imagine the excitement…and tension. That’s ten out of forty-five students, and everyone wants to go! “It’s like the pink elephant in the room,” said one student, “everyone knows about it, but nobody wants to say anything.”

Of course this opportunity would be a dream come true for any aspiring designer. And why shouldn’t it? It’s an opportunity to advertise to all the right people. Take a look at these facts from NYC’s Fashion Week, and these are just a few benefits:
• More than 60 shows take place in Bryant Park.
• The average show length is 17 minutes.
• About 14,000 people attend the shows daily.
• More than 100,000 people will pass through over the eight-day period.
• More than 3,000 members of the press are registered.
• Five hundred volunteers will devote more than 4,000 hours of help during Fashion Week. [Daily News, 2007]

The Fashion Industry can be such a hard field to break into. Fashion itself is very subjective and there’s already so much out there in the market, a designer really has to have a unique style to set his or herself apart. But even with a good style, networking is key! It’s important for aspiring designers to take advantage of opportunities whenever and wherever they can. It can pay off in very big and unexpected ways!

Missing Gloves

So I was thinking recently, what ever happened to gloves? Historically, they were such an integral fashion accessory, just like wrist-watches or handbags, but today, at least in the United States, they’ve kind of drifted into the background, right along with pocket watches and eyeglass chains. You hardly see them anymore—at least as an all around accessory. Now, of course, given the seasonal changes, we’ll see gloves for functional reasons, but what I’m talking about is bringing the fashion and status symbol back to gloves.

Starting around the eleventh century, gloves became a common fashion accessory for English nobility. Often, gloves were laced with gold and other fine materials and studded with jewels. Not to say that we have to reach back to the archaic way of doing things, but I’d love to see gloves become trendy once again in the U.S. There are other western countries where gloves are still a common accessory so why do we have to wait until weddings, theatre viewings, or funerals to don such a lovely, and yet, functional accessory. I say, it’s time to bring gloves back around again.

International Stores Bring Unique Fashion

When comparing fashion cultures, many will argue that Europeans out dress American’s by far. Having had the opportunity to live in Europe I would have to agree. While Europeans are more likely to dress up for no reason at all, we Americans generally dress down. Here, fashion tends to be more casual, laid-back, and even downright grungy (don’t try to act like you’ve never worn the same sweats two days in a row and hoped no one noticed).

As American’s we like to be comfortable, let’s save all that 24-hour glamour for LA and Hollywood. But does that mean we aren’t a nation with style—no way! Fortunately, there are a couple of international department stores that offer some of that European flair that America generally misses the mark on. My two favorites: H&M and Zara.

I love these two stores because they both have lots of fashion variety and you can get great looks at an inexpensive price. Both Zara and H&M offer artsy, stylish fashions for men and women. Until this year, I didn’t even know that Zara existed in the U.S. so now that I know there’s a store near my hometown I’m super excited. There’s also a Zara’s in NYC so I’ll definitely have to pay a visit when I’m in the area.

H&M originally developed in Europe and now exists in over 33 countries. Check out their website for the closest one to you! I love H&M’s ladylike and retro fashions. When I worked as a job recruiter H&M was the perfect place to go to pick out a nice tailored shirt or a sophisticated pencil skirt.

If you’re ever looking for a bargain, but don’t want to compromise on looking good check out these two stores. Their styles are unique and will definitely make you stand out among a casual so-so crowd!

Finding Your Style

It seems fair to say that most artists put a little piece of themselves in their work. It gives their work a sort of authenticity and personal seal. Some of these personal touches may reflect the creator’s personal values, religious views, or ethnic culture. Whatever it may be, this personal touch adds validity and depth to the creation. When it comes to fashion, designers need to take into consideration not only things like their location and intended target group, but they need to think about how to make their style unique among the competition. In today’s society with so much to choose from, (eg. grunge, couture, vintage), creating a personal signature isn’t always the easiest thing to come by.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to Ayaka, an aspiring fashion designer at Syracuse University who is still getting a handle on her personal style. A native of Japan, Ayaka is often looking at the latest Japanese fashion trends and styles. When I asked if her designs reflected her culture in any way Ayaka’s response was, “I don’t know. I’m still looking for my style…maybe it has some influence, but I can definitely say I like most of Japanese designers compared to, like, American designers…” In time, as her collection matures, I’m sure that Ayaka will find her style.

Personal style isn’t always as obvious as we’d expect. In my own experience, I’ve found my personal fashion style in traveling to many different countries and taking a piece of that’s country’s fashion culture with me. Of course, that may be an unrealistic expectation for many people, but the fact of the matter is an artist can draw their own unique style from anywhere or anything. The best inspiration can come from places where we don’t even look. As artists, we just need to be ready to run with it!