Digital clothing — the future of fashion
Life is never linear, and you have to be excited about it. I interviewed Daria, who comes from Ukraine — a country of creatives. She managed to build an impressive career in fashion and became a symbol in this field. She made her motherland trendy, provided with a flow of opportunities for her peers. We talked about digital fashion, sustainability, and the future of consumption in different countries.
You can find the full interview as a podcast:
https://the-meeting.captivate.fm/episode/daria-joins-the-meeting
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Luba: As a modern woman, how do you manage to do it all?
Daria: I have good days when I am full of energy and I want to conquer the world, and some days I think that I’m doing nothing and I can not find time for anything. My goal is to increase the quantity and quality of the former. I think as soon as we reach the end of our extreme potential in everything, we can serve a true mission. That is why I am really thankful for this situation with the quarantine because I think we have more time to reflect on what we are doing, what really brings us joy, what’s important and what’s not.
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Luba: Have you reached your extreme potential or is there still some room to grow?
Daria: There will always be room to grow. I feel that there were moments in my life when I was more prepared for what’s going on. We all have different phases of our life when we have more or less energy. I know that I did stuff like charity events, running marathons, I lived in Ukraine, traveled a lot, then decided to move to the USA, which was basically like starting a new life. That’s a challenge, as well as building your profile in another country.
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Luba: How do you think life will change after the lockdown is over?
Daria: Some part of our life will certainly become online. People are already ok with having Zoom birthdays, it is ok to stay in touch with close people and family via FaceTime, and it is ok to have online meetings. I have already transferred 70% of my meetings online, and it is really time-saving. I also have this aspect that my family is in Ukraine, and when I moved to the USA, I talked to them through Skype or other messengers like What’s Up. We have this habit of staying in good relationships by using only online tools, and it is really beneficial for me. I don’t know what I would do without social media.
I think some part of our life will certainly become online. People have already understood that it is ok to have Zoom birthdays, it is ok to stay in touch with close people and family via FaceTime, and it is ok to have online meetings.
Luba: What kind of innovation will happen in fashion?
Daria: Everyone understands that we will never live like we used to live before. It’s unacceptable to have so much waste in fashion. Do you remember the time two years ago, when we (moredash.com) created some popup stores, where people could not only buy clothes but also create content? I think the store environment should be fun and it certainly is becoming a new asset. But now when everything is closed, I think it is important to move online.
Luba: Can you tell a little bit more about digital fashion?
Daria: Our garments will become intelligent, for example, they will calculate calories while we run. Of course, we have an Apple Watch, but not everyone wears it. As a result, I think that sportswear should become intelligent. Vintage resale will become more and more important, as well as storytelling, which has already started gaining popularity. It’s like asking yourself: ‘What should you do when your starting point is fashion, and you sell your universe to people?’.
The demand for loungewear will continue growing because it is important to look good even at home. Take China, for example. They still like having 90% of their meetings online, they want to stay at home and look great in front of their web-cameras.
Luba: What is digital fashion exactly? Is it the future?
Daria: It definitely won’t substitute all the clothes we wear, but a part of the fashion world will move into ‘filters’. For example, I can wear something during my online meeting, without wearing it in real life. It’s really amazing! If we have filters for the background, why don’t we have them for clothes? So we see that this trend already exists in all these Zoom backgrounds, and Instagram masks. Big retailers have already started a collaboration with gaming companies, so I think that it is the future.
‘For example, I can wear something during my online meeting, without wearing it in real life. It’s really amazing! If we have filters for the background, why don’t we have them for clothes?
Luba: Is it going to change our perception of ourselves?
Daria: I think it is inevitable because the biggest part of our lives has already moved online. Digital clothing is just a matter of technology, so we will get used to it quickly.
Luba: More and more brands are shouting left and right about being sustainable. Is it just a marketing strategy or do brands actually starting to care about sustainability more?
Daria: Most of the brands are now online, and sustainable ones show this vividly on their social media. It’s like meeting a vegan. They share it from the very start of the conversation, and it is the tool for them to be different. There are more and more brands that use sustainability either as a marketing tool or as their strategy. And it definitely has transformed our perception of sustainability. The main problem was that most recently sustainable garments were not sexy when the core of fashion is to give women femininity, the feeling of beauty. So with this change, many brands have started driving sustainability towards cutting edge and towards looking better. That is why I love supporting the brand Reformation.
The main problem was that recently the sustainable garments were not sexy when the core of fashion is to give women femininity, the feeling of beauty. So with this reformation, many brands have started driving sustainability towards cutting edge and towards looking better.
Luba: Moredash started a TikTok account recently and it’s doing well. Is TikTok a good platform for designing your B2C channel?
Daria: I love it. I spent all of my time there. I love everyone can express their creativity. It is no longer possible to do that on Instagram. TikTok does give you the opportunity to express yourself. It might die, but if it has all Instagram features, it will certainly move forward. I see a lot of brands going there.
Luba: China is a country to watch when it comes to digital consumer behavior. Are all of the trends coming from Asia nowadays?
Daria: Asia can give us a lot of ideas. Take virtual shopping, for example. When I traveled to Hong Kong for the first time, it was a brand new world for me. I went to a big fashion store there, and I saw how the merchandise was done, and everything was so different. The stores are very consumer-driven: it’s always the game between the brand and the consumer. It’s important to have this feedback loop and for the brand to change accordingly to what the consumer wants.
I kindly thank Daria for such a deep look into the fashion sector and for this great insight into the future of fashion. I am already intrigued by the virtual clothing. How about you?