Institute of Digital Fashion Teams Up With H&M On Virtual Wearables

Working with some of the biggest names in the biz from Condé Nast to the V&A, the Institute of Digital Fashion is at the forefront of fashion’s Web3 future. Constantly looking to shape how we interact with the metaverse, the IoDF Ateliers have helped produce digital wearables for brands big and small including London Fashion Week darling Chet Lo. Looking to reach as wide an audience as possible as we continue on the road towards a virtual future, IoDF has partnered with Swedish fast-fashion company H&M on a collection of digital and physical garments.

As part of H&M's Innovation Metaverse Design Story, which bridges the digital and physical realms, this five-piece collection brings to life concepts of digital environmentalism. The collaboration is in line with H&M's sustainability efforts as the brand looks for innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact. 'We at the Institute of Digital Fashion are excited to partner with H&M on a digital collection that pushes the boundaries of fashion as we know it', explains co-founders of the Institute of Digital Fashion Leanne Elliott Young and Cattytay. Along with the digital wearables is a line of physical garments produced from recycled materials.

Not tied down to the physical limitations of the real world, the otherworldly virtual designs presents the limitless boundaries of personal style in the metaverse. Using Augmented Reality (AR) the designs will be available as digital wearables through the H&M app allowing anyone to try on the designs. 'We co-created, and built the digital collection together with H&M and routed it within creative exploration, considering the ephemeral world around us and the abilities beyond physical fabrication and its restraints', says the duo.

Further blurring the lines of the real and virtual worlds, models Kristen McMenamy and Vittoria Ceretti star in a new fashion film wearing both the digital wearables and physical garments from the collection. More than a display of H&M's immersive metaverse initiative, the film also reveals the creation of the digital garments and how users can wear and display them. Showcasing the potentional of AR technology in the fashion industry last year, McMenamy wore one of IoDF's digital garments at the 2021 Fashion Awards red carpet.

H&M's Innovation Metaverse Design Story. co-designed by IoDF, will be displayed on HM.com starting 1 December with AR werables available on the H&M app.