It is important, as we accelerate rapidly towards a future in digital fashion, that designers and marketplaces do everything they can to ensure that the Metaverse and Web 3.0 is a place where everyone can thrive - not just those lucky enough to be able to afford it.

Neal Stephenson coined the term ‘Metaverse’ in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, but unlike Mark Zuckeberg’s imagined digital utopia, this Metaverse depicts a dystopian future of a digital class hierarchy, in which individuals are judged based on the image resolution of their avatars. Of course, we are a long way off from living in any kind of digital reality, but as Web 3.0 begins to take shape and make its way into the mainstream media, it is becoming more and more vital that we learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure that, if it is indeed the future, it is a future for all, not just those with the money to access it.

It is undeniable that digitising industries has already gained a bad rep. Headlines about crypto’s high energy consumption paired with the high pricing of many NFTs have created debate about who digital fashion is actually for. For those of us who have no choice but to live in the real world, spending a month's rent on a dress you can't even wear is just an outrageous thought.

Online fashion marketplace The Dematerialised have already made steps to prove their devotion to the increased accessibility of digital fashion, by releasing free and genderless virtual fashion NFT’s in collaboration with Virtue, that you don’t need a crypto-wallet to purchase or wear. This provides an example of how, even in the early stages of the industry's development, steps can be taken to open up the conversation, and allow even those with minimal tech knowledge or resources to be a part of it.

The Dematerialised X Virtue collaboration robe NFT.

At the moment, projects like these, while completely necessary, are few and far between. But digital fashion still doesn’t have to be something we fear, and it certainly doesn’t have to be something that only the mega-rich have a say in. In fact, an interview with Kirsty Sorley, a Central Saint Martins graduate and emerging digital fashion designer who goes by the digital identity @polarfantasy, revealed a whole different side to the conversation.

Inspired by humble beginnings with digital fashion that I am sure most of us can relate to, styling avatars in simple games like The Sims 1 and IMVU, she is proof that all you need to have a bangin’ digital identity is that childish sense of limitless style and a bunch of YouTube tutorials. “the only limit to what you can create is your own mind... the programs are virtually free and no money is spent on materials. you can replace university fees with youtube tutorials... it only took me two weeks in quarantine to learn!”

In fact, it was clear that, for polarfantasy, digital fashion is not just something that we all can get involved in, but something that we all should be getting involved in. “i would love to see more tutorials from women in the industry! when I started making 3D works, all the tutorials i watched were always made by men. i honestly thought i was the only female animator.” She went on to suggest that web 3.0 could well become the limitless fantasy that we were all promised, but only when a wider range of people get involved. “all of our inclusivity problems could be solved if we had more women and non-conforming people working within web 3.0”

Projects like The DMAT’s collaboration with Virtue are a necessary step towards erasing some of the concerns about barriers to access, but it is also necessary to remember that the benefits of entering an emerging industry like digital fashion means you get a say in how it turns out - if we want a diverse digital landscape, we need diverse contributions. Even if you don’t fancy forking out for an extensive digital wardrobe, it doesn't mean you can’t have one at all - why not design your own? To paraphrase polarfantasy, digital fashion is so new, there couldn't be a better time to get involved. And you might just make an emerging world a more diverse place while you're at it.