2023.10.23

Walking the Streets of the Metaverse: What's the New Fashion for Dressing Avatars?

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In the 1970s, street fashion was born on the streets of the Bronx, but when did it develop into a huge apparel genre?
How many years have passed since the "Kawaii" culture and Ura-Harajuku brands that started on the corners of Harajuku in the 1990s became design sources for luxury maisons?
Fashion on the streets has grown as a means of self-expression for people who are avant-garde, experimental, and real, and who have yet to become anyone else. Eventually, it moved the world.

And now, the new 'street' may be in the virtual space. The culture of 'wearing avatars' that appeared in metaverse platforms in the 2020s has yet to be organized by anyone and is expanding with free attire.

In this article, we spoke with 'suma', a virtual photographer who takes photographic works focusing on VRChat and dresses multiple avatars as a model. He introduces the chaotic variety of avatar fashion, from real clothes to cyber, giant-ization/doll-ization, and how to enjoy it, as well as representative brands. We'll also feature snaps from the 'gathering' culture where fashion-loving users gather.

PROFILE

suma

VR photographer/model. Deputy representative of the VR movie studio Qadesh Project.

Street Snapshots in the Metaverse

【suma】 TOPS: SHREKM0N_CLOTH BOTTOMS: Daft BlackSmith SHOES: HITSUJI ELECTRICS ACSESSARY: MO802.11ca／HITSUJI ELECTRICS

Tell us about your activities, suma.

I am mainly active as a 'virtual photographer' taking pictures of avatars and 'worlds' (digital spaces constructed by users within VRChat). I also act as a model for avatar shooting.

TOPS：DNG-Works BOTTOMS：Vagrant ACSESSARY：OCTOPUS ARMS／RyGrK WebShop／Tomcat's Toy Box／IMOKYO ACCESSORY etc.

Your outfits posted on social media range from real-clothes-like to cyber costumes. How do you gather information?

I check for new items at shops I follow, ask friends I meet on social media or in VRChat where their outfits are from... It's pretty much the same as real-world fashion (laughs). The difference from reality is that there's no marketing driving trends, so word of mouth has a lot of power.

There seems to be an enthusiasm in VRChat similar to the heyday of street fashion. When did you start seeing such a diversity of outfits?

It started increasing rapidly around 2020. I was invited to VRChat by a friend in 2017, and compare to back then, the avatars and accessories are in full bloom now.

What is the 'Mod' Culture Supporting VR Fashion?

How do you enjoy fashion in VR?

In the case of VRChat, there are countless public (free) avatars available, but if you want to wear your own avatar, you upload the 3D model to the VRChat server using a game engine called Unity.

Do you create the avatars and fashion items yourself?

You can create your own with 3D modeling software like Blender, but mostly, you buy 3D models sold on "BOOTH" (Editor's note: a creator platform operated by Pixiv Inc.), 'mod' them to your liking, and upload them. Most 3D model prices range from a few hundred yen to a few thousand yen, and many items are given away for free, so you can put together a free and easy coordinate than real fashion.

What do you mean by 'mod'?

'Mod' is an important keyword in VRChat culture. It refers to adjusting the design, color, size, etc. of existing avatars and clothing yourself to create originality.