The pandemic has changed not only consumer behaviour, but opportunities for progressive brands to tackle the future of fashion - one that could be very profitable if they stay in the loop with upcoming trends.

"Iridescence" via The Fabricant

The thought of creating virtual clothing that is non-existent in the physical world has become a reality. This idea came to life through a collaborative project by Dutch startup The Fabricant, Dapper Labs and augmented reality artist Johanna Jaskowska. The end product was a digital dress called Iridescence.

Zooming in on Johanna Jaskowska, the 29-year old French creative is not only a digital clothing designer, but also the brain behind some of the most prominent futuristic Instagram filters, alongside being the creator of Blockchain's most popular game. Jaskowska explores the themes of beauty intersecting technology in her work which led her to eventually create the first ever digital dress that sold for $9,500 at an auction. She explains, "It raises questions about the future solution for consuming and owning fashion pieces with a bigger social impact without the environmental impact of physical garment production.

Johanna Jaskowska via Dazed

Upon the auction, Iridescence was eventually sold to Richard Ma, the CEO of QuantumStamp as a gift to his wife, Mary Ran at Ethereal Summit, New York. According to Ma, he is aware that the digital dress was expensive, but made the purchase as he foresees it as having "long-term value." He went as far as saying that he is recognising it as an investment.

"Iridescence" via Independent.ie

Now that the window is open for digital fashion, it is without a doubt that brands would need to keep up and adapt to the ever-changing technological world.