Kendrick Choo Unpacks Fashion In The Metaverse: Shopping, Design, Photoshoots, NFTs, Gaming, Transhumanism
I’m terrified in a good way
Foreword
My counsellor recently helped me uncover insights about myself:
- I’m uncomfortable with compliments
- I don’t value my achievements
- I don’t fully accept my identity / status (writer, student, unemployed)
As I try to align my self-assessment and outward reality, I question my concerns of everything about anything: is it premature to think about mortality in my twenties? I do so in the context of success, continued success, and the latter’s prerequisite of keeping abreast of pop culture and essential skills. I cringe at my parents struggling with Google Slides. But I already feel my demise foreshadowed: primary school students today study coding. I don’t own NFTs. The only TikTok video I made, I deleted.
As a writer, understanding tends to solve anxieties. Except, in the case of technology’s impact on fashion, the “what” is infinite. At the start of COVID in 2020, discussions around sustainability seemed to drive discussions about making way for textiles like hemp and Tencel to replace thirsty cotton, systems (maybe the same ones) to localise supply chains and keep production accountable, etc.
While first to solve more urgent problems, makeshift photoshoots and digital fashion shows also inspired possibilities of fashion media post-pandemic. Remote shoots were a fun fad.
Since live video communication was not previously necessary or mainstream, many remote production flaws were permissible, even celebrated. Head of YouTube Fashion and Beauty Partnerships Derek Blasberg’s CR Runway With amfAR Against COVID-19 captured the bizarre depths luxury succumbed to for content.
While the video hit all the fashion must-haves—celebrities and designers recording iPhone messages of hope, supermodels applying their own makeup, wearing their own clothes, strutting down makeshift runways in their cavernous living halls—its message was more “hope”. Looked like a student project? It was for charity. Cue the scene in every deserted-on-an-island movie where the protagonist finds a radio, tunes its knob, hears static on one station, begs “Hello?”, waits.
Out on the fashion battlefield, retail was bankrupt. Touchpoint shifts like WhatsApp chat groups among SAs, stylists and shoppers and drive-through picks already altered the consumer experience. Most indicative of the predicament brands found themselves in, to me, however, was Vogue and certain New York designers hosting sample sales on Amazon.
Yet in 2022, fashion is beyond returning to where it dropped off. In The Age Of Acceleration, “The New Normal”, regardless of your connotation, doesn’t exist. This decade has already seen relentless global malaise, from a pandemic, fascism, frequent outbursts caught on video, etc.
My mood these days resemble the four days I couldn’t taste after contracting COVID. I’m reading My Year Of Rest And Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, reminded of my “feel good bad” adolescence when I only listened to Lana Del Rey. It’s my Darkhold. But it’s also well-written, and the only activity I can pursue without feeling ants in my pants. In “Reflections On Fashion Week In The Shadow Of War”, Tim Blanks said about the FW22 shows: “There was a lot of talk about the roaring twenties at the beginning of the 2020s, and there was going to be this like new decade of incredibly—when the pandemic ended, there’d be this frenzy, this explosion. It feels to me like we have bypassed the roaring twenties and gone straight to the thirties. I have to say, that I was feeling quite a thirties silhouette; like Rick Owens and Prada, I thought. A little bit at Dior, the way that Maria Grazia Chiuri deconstructed The New Look. And then you realise, that that New Look silhouette did quite reference the thirties a little bit. And the thirties was such a dark decade, and such a tumultuous decade; and ending in the catastrophe of WW2.”
So I’m ironically excited that fashion/tech innovations being bantered sound far from what I’m used to. Necessarily iconoclastic. Enter “The New Extraordinary”, a collection of super societies that are (not my words): nature-centric, life-preserving, intersectional, digitally accessible.
Fashion In The Metaverse
M: To me, digital has always served to translate physical fashion to an online audience. Runway shows. Innovations to showcase garments on e-commerce platforms as real as possible. Now, it seems digital is doing more. When did you first realise that?
K: At the start of COVID, we were isolated. Had to find new ways to do things. As an image-maker, I couldn’t go out for shoots. How could I replicate a shoot through digital means, while retaining realism? Surprisingly, I had a background in VFX. Never thought to apply it to my work. A lot of creatives post on XiaoHongShu too. There’re gimmicks, trends to make things look futuristic. But on how the Chinese incorporate technology into their work, they’re five years ahead of us.
I reflected on what hasn’t been explored that I could bring to Singapore.
M: Did the shifts you made during COVID feel like a quick fix?
K: Pre-COVID, set design could require 30 people. With restrictions lifted, there’re still production pax limits. Unless exhibited, sets are presented as images. I tried to incorporate my VFX background into shoots. 3D scanning, modelling. I learnt it the “film” way in poly: using HD cameras to capture objects, their movements at various angles, importing images onto a 3D software. Now, I use a phone app.
M: Were you tracking digital fashion success in China, the West?
K: I love Tim Walker, Nick Knight. Tim is creative. Nick discussed in 2017 incorporating 3D scanning, making everything virtual. He’s a visionary.
There’s a lot of R&D, failing. I have a lot of unfinished work I’m unsatisfied with, don’t want to post.
M: What did you think the skills you were acquiring could lead to?
K: I’ve played video games since I was nine. But I never thought fashion and games could exist in the same world. Balenciaga’s Afterworld was not a new concept in gaming.
It was more novelty. Consumers need time to be on board with buying virtual fashion. With innovations like the metaverse, I wondered how look books, which have existed 2D, may be 3D, applied to e-commerce platforms. Instead of swiping flat images, could people be able to view garments 360, in more detail?
M: At the start of COVID, I interviewed Reyme Husaini, who created a virtual influencer for his FYP.
I was fascinated by technology within fashion in the digital space eliminating positions. As a creative director, you may eventually be able to decide who gets to contribute to a fashion shoot, e.g. working with a makeup artist versus applying makeup in editing. Do you think 3D modelling and associated skills you will acquire make you powerful and dangerous?
K: *laughs* While some traditional roles may be eliminated, others will open up, e.g. 3D modellers, CGI artists, coders.
M: Do you feel lucky?
K: When I told Furqan about my background in VFX, he said I should’ve just focused on it from year one at LASALLE. I felt I’d wasted time not embracing my background.
Then again, I chose my Diploma to create parkour videos. During NS, I chased hype through photography. Then took photos of other people. Orchestrated, organised photoshoots. Considered where an education in visual arts could take me. While at LASALLE, I worked at Lamoire, found my love of avant-garde fashion.
M: Do you know how, when fashion and gaming intersected?
K: Metaverse, a fancy name for online gaming platforms. You live in a world. Move by pressing W-A-S-D. Wear virtual fashion garments, video game skins.
M: The metaverse isn’t centralised?
K: Mark Zuckerberg is trying to centralise it via Meta. There’s Roblox, Sandbox, etc.
M: If I own a garment on one platform, will I be able to wear it on another?
K: It depends on the provider. There’s RTFKT, The Dematerialised, etc. The end-game is for garments to be cross-platform.
Fashion In Gaming
M: Is buying skins mainstream?
K: FPS [First Person Shooter] games are competitive. You can see yours and other players’ skins. It makes you want to spend on skins. According to BOF, most of gaming industry’s income comes from DLC [downloadable content] and skins. It makes ~USD10B a year on skins.
DLC can include extra stories and levels, new characters, unlockable weapons, bonus items, and more depending on the type of game. DLC can also be cosmetic, changing a character’s appearance with a new outfit or modification (these are often referred to as “skins”). Some DLC might just be bug fixes.
“What Is DLC? Understanding Downloadable Content, A Feature Of Nearly Every New Game” by Chrissy Montelli for Tech Insider
M: When I play a game, I choose an avatar. I get to choose from basic skin options.
K: I play Warzone [Call Of Duty]. There’re many characters, which everyone can choose from. Each character has a different cosmetic: clothing, gear, etc. They’re ranked from Basic to Legendary. People associate skins with skills.
M: You can only buy skins based on your skill?
K: Not really. They may be tagged to exclusive windows of time. It’s similar to NFTs.
More expensive skins are louder, may look like something Dries Van Noten produces.
M: How does a skins catalogue look like?
K: For most games, you pay cash to buy a game currency bundles. Warzone’s ranges from ~$9.90 to $30.
M: Are skins full outfits? Can you buy separates?
K: They’re full outfits. But they’re not just “clothes”. Jackets can have animated effects, e.g. Nebula, fire. In the metaverse, where designers have input, they’re customisable.
M: If I buy a jacket on fire, can I project the fire?
K: Not for Warzone, to keep the game fair. In other games, maybe.
M: Can I customise the colour of the jacket fire?
K: There’re maybe two colour choices. You buy directly from the game.
M: Do skins evolve?
K: After kills, they may change colour, the type of bullets a gun shoots.
M: How much do you spend on skins?
K: I don’t buy them regularly. Once, I spent a few hundred dollars on a knife. Traded it up for a knife worth ~USD1K.
There’s a weapons marketplace on CS: GO [Counter-Strike: Global Offensive].
M: Sellers set prices?
K: Based on market value.
M: There’s a StockX of skins?
K: NFTs have rarity scores. Skins too.
M: Can you cash out on marketplaces that trade on game currency?
K: You can use third-party platforms to “verify” transactions, but they only protect you to a certain level. Players advertise their skins on Carousell, meet buyers in-person, sell their skins, check for payment through Paypal, Paynow, etc.
M: Why would I buy a skin from a player over the game?
K: Lower price.
M: Is gaming becoming “cool” among your fashion friends?
K: Generalisation: fashion is more female-oriented, hardcore gaming male-oriented. To enjoy competitive games, you have to be good. It takes a lot of time. My fashion friends acknowledge fashion’s entry to gaming. While my gaming friends buy skins, they generally don’t care about style in real life.
M: Are game influencers entering fashion, and vice versa?
K: Most game influencers are competitive gamers, and most of such games don’t have strong fashion elements. But people are increasingly interested in influencers’ lives, beyond just playing games. Brands want to support vlogs, other types content. Gamers will have to groom themselves, even at home.
Fashion is trying to enter gaming through games that don’t have high barriers to entry, e.g. Sims, Roblox, Sandbox. The most relevant game to fashion now is Fortnite, which attracts celebrity gamers, streamers.
NFTs And Non-sequiturs Because The Metaverse Is The Multiverse Meets Everything Everywhere All At Once
M: Why are NFTs complicated?
K: They exist in Web3. We exist in Web2. For added security, we have to take more steps to own NFTs. It took me two days to buy my own NFT using Polygon, which is cheaper than Ether.
M: How can I buy an NFT?
K: You need a wallet, perhaps from Metamask, which you can connect as Chrome extension, encrypt it then connect to a platform like OpenSea, with features to make buying accessible directly with a debit card, versus crypto.
You also need digital currency. Think of blockchains as countries. You can’t pay USD in Singapore.
M: I have to convert a platform-specific currency before using it?
K: You can do that, or buy a popular currency like Ether and they will convert it for you. But there’re gas fees.
M: Money changer fees.
K: There’re also fluctuations in exchange rates, gas fees.
M: You created an NFT.
K: A collectible with exclusive benefits tied to my friend’s fashion brand, Ther Yang, and other organisations.
Most NFTs need physical value, contexts to sell.
M: You buy a customised Air Force NFT, and are sent a physical pair too.
K: Value can mean entry to exclusive events, perks tied to other organisations.
M: Since an NFT is fixed, are its associated perks “forever” too?
K: Only if terms stated in the smart contract indicate the seller can change perks when necessary. Beeple, who sold his NFT at ~$69M, including a physical installation sent to the buyer’s home, indicated in his smart contract that he would be able to amend the digital artwork.
M: Currently, are perks more valuable than NFTs themselves?
K: It’s difficult to give value to virtual garments. Most designers want to cater to virtual audiences, them to be worn virtually, instead of appeal to buyers through NFTs’ physical world perks. But they’re new, so barriers to entry for people to experimentally buy have to be lower. Balenciaga’s Fortnite NFT sells for ~$20.
M: I’m speculating the most mass way for digital garments to be worn. If gaming is not mass enough, is a metaverse “hang”, Zoom meeting, social media necessary, discussed for digital garments to break through?
K: The only ways for digital garments to thrive in the metaverse is on one big platform that can replicate the physical world, where everyone can see everyone, or for digital garments to be wearable cross-platform.
M: Ray-Ban x Meta Stories smart glass.
K: Either we’ll be brought to screens or screens will be brought to us.
Transhumanism
M: What about changing the way humans look in digital shoots interests you?
K: For my FYP, I researched grotesque bodies. It’s not just blood, but the deformation, transgression of the human body. It started from middle ages architecture: gargoyles, etc. Moved to carnivalesque, freak shows: people with three arms, etc. It’s fucked up to think of them as entertainment today. Grotesque bodies have evolved, been re-interpreted.
There’re groups of transhumanists trying to transfer their brains, consciousnesses into robots. The Fall Out 4 helmet I wore on my IGS explores post-apocalyptic themes, speculative world, what can happen 200 years from today, sci-fi films’ colour grading and VFX.
M: Is your interest purely aesthetic, or linked to social, environmental causes?
K: I’ve always been fascinated with what looks abnormal, design with meaning, layers.
M: KJ mentioned that a piece of leather can simply decay over time, but it’s cooler if you set it on fire, bury it under sand, etc.
K: CCP’s designs emerged after WW2, when Austria saw an Actionist movement. Protestors riled civilians not to be government sheep.
M: What do you want to do next?
K: Cater to the international market, which is more receptive to creativity. Why not tap into the metaverse, which ultimately maximises convenience, meeting people anywhere from home? But there’re technicalities that need to be tweaked. For realism, mostly.
M: Do you feel lost, overwhelmed by possibilities?
K: Controversies aside, I love Elon Musk.
M: Is there something that seems unimaginable now that you hope to be a part of?
K: Something from Black Mirror that isn’t scary, devastating.
M: *laughs* It always starts off fun, cool before taking a dark turn.
Confession
When documentaries like The Great Hack and The Social Dilemma released, I saw people post grievances about Facebook’s data collection on IGS. I found it funny in a sad way. Where were they to be heard? Cue Starbucks-obsessed teens who “hate” capitalism and characters on Black Mirror “escaping” to another hell.
Digital decentralisation sounds like a promising effort towards democracy, against nepotism. Confession: I still don’t understand how it works.
Hopefully this helps you:
Encryption means that the data stored on a blockchain can only be accessed by people who have permission to do so — even if the data happens to be stored on a computer belonging to someone else, like a government or a corporation.
And distributed computing means that the file is shared across many computers or servers. If one particular copy of it does not match all of the other copies, then the data in that file isn’t valid. This adds another layer of protection, meaning no one person other than whoever is in control of the data can access or change it without the permission of either the person who owns it or the entire distributed network.
Put together, these concepts mean data can be stored in a way so that it is only ever under the control of the person who owns it, even if it happens to be stored on a server owned by a corporation or subject to the control of a local government. The owner or government can never access or change the data without the keys to the encryption that proves they own it. And even if they shut down or remove their server, the data is still accessible on one of the hundreds of other computers that it’s stored on. Pretty clever, right?
“What Is Web3 All About? An Easy Explanation With Answers” by Bernard Marrs for Forbes
My questions on Web3, payment on Web3:
- How does shared ownership work; a community can be built by its population, but doesn’t it have to stand on some ground?
- Where is user information, are passwords stored? Does complete transparency threaten privacy? Is data collection a threat?
- How are payments authenticated? How do nodes vote? What incentives are there to say yes to a payment?
- Etc.
This article seems to prove the security of blockchain, as long as community watchdogs surveil marketplaces. Maybe I’m a sceptic, but why would you build a company you can’t efficiently fraud, profiteer off?
