The fashion industry, or fashion in general, which had been experiencing a positive
trend for years, suffered a severe setback due to the pandemic, given the
changing needs of consumers and the problems encountered in the sourcing,
distribution and sale of articles. The industry is facing profound structural changes
that represent companies’ innovation efforts. Sustainability has become an
integral part of various post-Covid recovery plans. The traditional use of B2B (business-
to-business) in this sector, that is, the physical presentation of garments
at the various points of sale by the companies, the recent historical period has
revealed major criticalities in the same.
It is as unthinkable as ever that the so-called ‘virtual reality’ would enter the fashion
sector and replace the physical company/shop interaction, starting with
the presentation of garments, even though fashion has always played a central
role in innovation as the main interpreter of social attitudes.
Significant help to the sector could come from digitalisation, which is now at
home in every company, even small ones, or in the shops themselves, has also
led to innovation in the interaction between the various players, converging in
the metaverse. The metaverse is a virtual space in which people can access and
interact with each other. The metaverse is not an application but a particular
way that aims precisely at interaction, and today’s platforms actually present
their own philosophy in accessing and interacting, a true virtual world that is also
disrupting the world of business as well as entertainment. Platforms that allow
developers to create any kind of environment, whether in virtual or augmented
reality, a fusion of the digital and physical worlds that allows the virtual and real
worlds to connect, the physical shop is enhanced by the fact that one can try on
clothes in a virtual setting. Studies have been carried out on the possibility of
interaction of objects and materials in the virtual world and, in this specific case,
the project aims to allow a user (the shop) access to a virtual room, physically
touch a fabric sample, and offer it in the virtual, with the possibility of interacting
with an avatar.
The project uses as a case study the outerwear company ‘EmmeEvolution’, which
includes the brand ‘Nitia’, with the realisation of a personal and special dedicated
environment for interactions and related presentations.
The project ends with in-company validation.
