“Well, sir, if things are real, they’re there all the time."
"Are they?" said the Professor; and Peter did not quite know what to say.”
- The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe, (C.S. Lewis)
#OOTW by 888vampires via This Outfit Does Not Exist
I have not written a deep dive in 255 days.
Inspired by a year of imaginary clothing, at the start of 2022 I decided to build DRAUP: a platform redefining Digital Fashion.
What began as an idea morphed into a whitepaper. That whitepaper into a fundraise, that fundraise into a team, and in the next few months that team will produce a product.
Created from compounds of obsessive observation, DRAUP is 2 years worth of writing brought to life. Yet in building the muscles to leap the chasm between thought and expression, much of that writing never saw the light of day.
But now it’s 2023, and things are about to change.
Dat new new
Infinitely scalable and at the forefront of innovation, Digital Fashion has evolved significantly since This Outfit Does Not Exist was last penned. We now have:
More awareness — with Metaverse interest surging, and the rise of NFTs, more people than ever know of Digital Fashion
More producers — from written content producers (see Maghan and Maddie at Vogue Business, Bethanie at Jing Daily & the Naked Collector), or the fashion itself, the imaginary clothing ecosystem has expanded beyond just a handful of creators
More activity — more #tradfashion brands are entering the space each day, through collaborations (e.g. Gucci) and acquisitions (e.g. Nike), on top of an influx of burgeoning brands and tech providers
This combination has led to a whole new hunger for information. Therefore…
We’re having a makeover
Where once there were 5,000-word deep dives, now there will be:
1. Bi-weekly shorter form essays
Covering everything from Digital Fashion-Fi to the rise of the virtual influencer
2. An #OOTW
Showcasing the most creative and technologically innovative creators, via my Instagram
3. + an idea that's caught my attention
Ranging from the proliferation of flat fashion to clothes enabling proof of influence
Finally, a reminder of why I’m here…
The purpose of This Outfit Does Not Exist is to bring Digital Fashion to life.
This involves:
Explaining what Digital Fashion is — to help individuals and brands understand why they’d consume or create virtual clothing
Exploring how it will change our future — to inspire a digitally-native world formed the right way
Highlighting companies and creators driving change — to bring eyeballs to the innovators pushing Digital Fashion forward
That’s all to say if you have any topics or projects you want covered, please let me know!
And for when weekly is not enough you can find me on Twitter.
Thank you for your continued support. Bring on 2023!!
- Dani
This Outfit Does Not Exist, is a newsletter about Digital Fashion, diving into the industry’s developments, the start-ups that shape them, and their capacity to disrupt the wider world of physical goods.
Love it? Hate it? Don’t understand it!
And share with your friends!!!
— Dani, This Outfit Does Not Exist