In the past year, we have witnessed the application and development of the metaverse, a concept that was once very abstract for the public, in all walks of life. If 2021 is the "first year" of the metaverse, then 2022 is an important period for the official start and development of the metaverse. In this almost inevitable trend of human social development, young people are heading head-on and exploring the blueprint of the metaverse in practice.
In the era of digital economy, the birth of mobile Internet, and the rapid development of science and technology, young forces have made use of their natural "aboriginal" advantages, as well as the learning of new technologies and the use of new tools, in fashion, humanities, science and technology, art and many other fields, firmly grasping the wind of the times.
N+1 new possibilities for design
Technology empowers the creator economy
2022, as the period of the beginning of the development of the metaverse and related new technologies, has revealed a subtle but grand role in the development of design and even aesthetics. The rapid development of new digital technologies provides more diverse technical support and implementation channels for design, so that design concepts and design styles have more room for experimentation. The concept and trend of the metaverse are also shaping the corresponding aesthetic form. At the same time, the boundaries of reality and virtual are becoming more and more intertwined, and creators are pushing the boundaries of possibility.
Works by digital artist Nicholas Keays
Works by digital artist Shams Meccea
Taking digital art as an example, this art form, which has received special attention and explosion in the metaverse era, is the product of combining the two evolutionary conditions of new technology and new aesthetics. Digital art mainly relies on the ever-changing digital graphics software and hardware technology, and the creation is free from the limitations of physical media, and is expressed in virtual space, emphasizing the experimental and exploratory nature of artistic creation; At the same time, the production of digital art is also more efficient and widely used, including film, animation, games, new media, products and other fields. Today, digital art is everywhere and permeates almost every aspect of our lives.
Wang Sicheng and his works
As a young artist, Wang Sicheng, founder of the experimental art group ACE Lab, does not adhere to specific forms in his creation, involving painting, installation, performance and new media. He has a systematic understanding of his views on art and technology, saying: "From the Baroque architecture, the design of the Bauhaus, to the metaverse we are talking about today, it is all born after the iterative update of technology. The development of technology has given creative designers new tools and languages, and what really limits creativity is 'creativity', which has nothing to do with the tools themselves. Earlier, the art industry was very close to the physical creation, contemporary we discuss a lot of behaviors and concepts, and the birth of digital media has made our aesthetics not stop at 'things', but also have a new way of communicating with the public. ”
Song Santu and his works
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As a contemporary avant-garde artist, Song Santu's creations cover sculpture, installation, painting, electronics and other media. Song Santu is optimistic about the relationship between metaverse-related technology and creativity: "I find that we are now in a very big era of creation, which is a very exciting point. As we explore the metaverse, we begin to really create things, people, and worlds. The core of the metaverse is that our consciousness can become reality without creating a physical entity, which allows us to have unlimited creativity and derivation. At the same time, it also gives people different identities and opens up the possibility of more diverse exploration. ”
The development of new technologies is also empowering the creator economy. New digital technologies have given creators more possibilities, and those things that cannot be created and expressed in the real world have more opportunities to be realized in the metaverse, and more creators have channels to show their talents. As Gao Yuwei, chief architect of AA META Metaverse Architects, said: "There are infinite possibilities at the boundary of the metaverse, where aggregation outside the physical space is gathered, and some abstract ideas and concepts can be realized here, as long as you have the courage to create." ”
Virtual digital collections
Establish links between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0
Virtual digital collectibles, as well as the popularity of NFTs, are an iconic emerging thing that must be said and ups and downs in 2022. From the tens of thousands of digital collection products on the market in the past year, it can be seen that the integration and mutual empowerment of virtual and real is the general trend of the market, and thus forms the breaking circle and resonance of the digital economy and the real economy; At the same time, along with this combination of "virtual and real" operation concept, the concept of "metaverse +" emerged, triggering the imagination of the future development direction of digital collections and NFTs.
「CY-B3LLA」
Bella Hadid's first NFT series "CY-B3LLA" launched last year was planned with the idea of connecting virtual and real space. In this NFT collection, "CY-B3LLA" is a new community with Bella as the guardian, and these NFTs are added with the empowerment rights of "meeting Bella online or offline". This is also the operation idea of many NFT and digital collection products today, adding "virtual" rights and interests, opening up the virtual and real, and forming a broken circle and resonance between the digital economy and the real economy.
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On the issue of the future of digital collections and NFTs, Mr. Wang Linchuan, founder of the Mose Metaverse, believes that their development trend can be divided into two directions, one is to combine with the offline, and the other is to develop in the physical part of the digital space (meta-universe), then this trend can be called "meta-universe +", or "+ meta-universe". These two trends are also inseparable from the premise of the combination of "virtual" and "real", and establishing links with users between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is the future fate of digital collections and NFTs.
Virtual technology and sustainable fashion
The golden track goes in both directions
The mutual achievement of the metaverse and sustainable fashion has become increasingly evident in the past year, and it also depicts the future of fashion. The emergence of new things such as digital virtual fashion, online virtual fitting, Style 3D 3D design and virtual realistic simulation fabrics has set off a new revolution.
Tribute Brand
Tribute Brand is the world's first 100% virtual fashion brand with no freight, no waste, no gender, no size, the brand takes the younger route, is a virtual fashion brand that only exists in digital form. In 2022, the brand launched a wave of social media posting itself in digital virtual fashion. Because, after consumers consume in Tribute Brand, what they get is not a physical dress, but a CGI picture of "you and clothes" modeled by Tribute Brand's backstage engineer for you. This not only satisfies the needs of the younger generation to present themselves on social media, but also practices the concept of sustainable fashion.
D1mension7 virtual fashion pieces
D1mension7 is a romantic new Chinese virtual fashion brand, in the brand's virtual fashion works, traditional Chinese clothing skills, cultural elements, spiritual core, are integrated into the meta-universe virtual fashion world, and under the unique aesthetic style of the meta-universe, showing the charm and wearing effect that cannot be expressed with real clothes.
"Snow in Search of Spring" series
Zorika brand manager, Hard Candy Alliance 3.0 Sugar owner Zorika took this opportunity to observe from a macro level, with the rapid development and layout of national metaverse digital fashion, she found an interesting feature: this is the role of slowing down the real-life fashion industry. The rapid development and convergence of the digital and physical worlds has brought many new opportunities for sustainability-focused designers. The metaverse is constantly changing the rules of the game, and in the process, designers and consumers alike have realized a two-way rush between the metaverse and sustainable fashion.
New material technology
Contributing to a sustainable future
At the same time as the emergence of new technologies, it has helped the generation of new materials, and also realized the vision of sustainable fashion little by little, depicting the future of fashion.
Coperni's "spray fabrics" in partnership with high-tech materials company Fabrican
The emergence of environmentally friendly new materials such as mycelium fabrics and grape leather, and the ready-to-wear technology on the Coperni runway, have repeatedly broadened the boundaries of the imagination of new materials. At the same time, the application of biotechnology in the field of beauty has also reached a new high in the past year.
Paris Jackson wears Stella McCartney
Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2022 EPHEA Coat
Since 2021, Stella McCartney has been widely used since Stella McCartney launched the world's first complete garment made with mycelium fabric, Mylo™. In July last year, Danish designer brand Ganni recently launched a limited edition bag made of Mylo mycelium imitation leather; In December, it was revealed that Danish footwear brand Ecco's global tannery was partnering with Ecovative to develop and commercialise mycelium materials for a range of new products; Balenciaga is also using EPHEA™, a cutting-edge hyphae material, as an organic alternative to leather in its 2022 winter collection, making this new fabric cultivated with mycelium into an overcoat in order to fulfill its sustainable fashion proposition... With its unique texture and rapid breeding, mycelium fabrics are becoming leaders among sustainable new materials.