Digital Designers Can Unlock Your Brand's Potential in the Virtual World

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Roblox's Christina Wootton spotlights virtual designers who have gained real-world attention. Below, in her own words, she conveys the limitless future of fashion in three key ways. The metaverse, but make it fashion Before the potential of virtual fashion caught the attention of media and brands, it had been “a thing” on digital platforms for many years. Fashion designers have been setting virtual clothing trends, hosting virtual fashion shows and launching seasonal collections. Now that brands are pursuing digital fashion and products as a part of their business strategy, they’d be wise to learn from the fashion designers who have dedicated their careers to digital clothing and determined how to market their designs in the metaverse. Not unlike Justin Bieber’s discovery on YouTube, up-and-coming designers are being discovered by large fashion houses based on their virtual designs on metaverse platforms like Roblox. There are designers like cSapphire—who’s already collaborated with Gucci on items for the Roblox platform—creating 2D clothing based on the designer's drawings. She joined the fashion community on Roblox as a tween and started clothing design on the platform in 2013. Over the years, her popularity grew exponentially, and she’s since collaborated on some of the most popular experiences on Roblox. Now, in her early 20s, she is one of the top-selling clothing designers on the platform. Missmudmaam is another original designer who’s been creating digital clothing since 2012 and has sold millions of items. She has found numerous applications for virtual fashion in the metaverse—groups to join, games to play, and stores and fashion catalogs to purchase from. Clothing designers and top developers can collaborate, share profits and experiment with creative marketing and engagement tactics, such as offering purchases directly from virtual runways and allowing teleportation between top experiences and designers’ boutiques. Just like in the physical world, major seasonal events, influencer endorsements and other more traditional tactics can contribute to spikes in sales. As for what sells, Missmudmaam said she believes that people are more willing to take fashion risks in the metaverse, wearing things they wouldn’t in real life. When designing virtual clothing, it’s important not to just reproduce designs from the physical world, but also create things that may not be attainable or wearable in real life. From real world to virtual and back again These community designers highlight three integral components of the virtual fashion ecosystem. Real world to metaverse: The metaverse is ripe for brand awareness and activations. Bringing recognizable and iconic items to the metaverse allows users to obtain coveted items that may be inaccessible in the real world. Players see other avatars sporting chic fashion and want it for themselves—for their avatar, their closet or both. Metaverse to real world: The current generation of established designers tells similar stories of how they honed their fashion talents by making clothes for dolls, siblings or friends; the next generation is dressing avatars. Fashion is about what’s next and finding new voices with clear visions. That emerging talent is in the metaverse, waiting to be brought to the real world. Imagination: No runway will ever be as avant-garde as the metaverse, where anything is possible. The boundaries of textiles and fabrication don’t exist, allowing designers to tap into unexplored wells of inspiration. Working outside the boundaries of the familiar can be unnerving and inspiring. Brands that allow themselves to experiment and collaborate with digital designers will flourish, both in the real world and online. If the next top designers are in the metaverse, who will discover them first?