The Japanese culture comes to Metaverse Fashion Week with MetaTokyo
Is everyone in the metaverse already?
Ph. Duncan Rawlinson
The metaverse is a place of inclusivity and the more advanced it becomes the more people worldwide are confidently stepping into the unknown world. This year was the first large-scale digital fashion event - Metaverse Fashion week. Digital fashion fanatics spent 4 days in Decentraland attending runway shows, parties and panel talks, and did some shopping. A project that really stood up from the rest was Japan’s first pop-up museum focused on generative art.
MetaTokyo is finally opening their doors for visitors to dive into Japanese culture for the Metaverse Fashion week.
Taking part in the Metaverse Fashion Week has proven to be a challenging task. Due to its international scope and accessibility it has attracted a greater variety of talents, emerging designers, and cultural sectors. The meta verse has been here for a while, but it is still relatively new to the mass public. Amatures have had the opportunity to experiment and improve and high-end brands are no longer the only luxury there is. Even the slogan in the event is ‘Everyone’s a VIP in the metaverse’. The competition in the virtual world is bigger but so is the audience.
MetaTokyo. What is it?
MetaTokyo is a project that is focusing on bringing their own take on the metaverse and showcase visitors the uniqueness of Tokyo culture. What started as a joint venture between Asobisystem Co., ParadeAll Co. and Fracton Ventures turned into a mission to develop cultural cities in the metaverse by connecting the digital landscape with global entertainment. Last year they developed the real estate in Decentraland but it is just now that they have finally opened their doors. To mark this milestone Meta Tokyo is collaborating with the twin fashion models AMIAYA to create NFT photography, launch the “SPACE by MetaTokyo” pop-up museum, and provide AMIAYA-themed wearables for the fans.
AMIAYA x STREET Collaboration
Ami and Aya Suzuki, known as the twin unit AMIAYA, have gained worldwide attention for their fashion sense. Together with Street, a street fashion publication in Japan, the duo will launch the AMIAYA x STREET TOKYO FASHION 2021ss photo collection book and hold a photo exhibition, both in real life and in the metaverse. A total of 330 unique NFT’s will be generated from the photography featured at the event, and they'll be offered through OpenSea. It’s safe to say there will be something for everyone. The collection will be available to only MetaTokyo Pass holders but for those interested in the launch a physical photo book will be available for purchase at the venue.
By the looks of it, it seems like Meta Tokyo is more than ready to embrace metaverse and Japanese culture. This is just the beginning, and a great one for Meta Tokyo. They have confirmed that more exciting events and launches are set to take place in the virtual world. So keep an eye on them. This project is set to inspire other countries to enter Decentraland and showcase the uniqueness that is hidden behind every culture.
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Balenciaga pays tribute to Ukraine during Fashion week
When we think of a fashion show, we usually think of the glamour and elegance of haute couture. Let’s not forget that the fashion industry is very influential and has the power to carry out a message to millions of people everywhere. When everyone's focus is on the current situation in Ukraine, none of us can remain indifferent, fashion is taking a stand.
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Balenciaga goes where fashion hasn’t dared go before and takes a stand for the Ukrainian refugees.
About The Show
Let’s experience the fashion show together. As you enter the room you notice the enormous snow globe on one side and a piece of fabric with the colours of the Ukrainian flag on all 525 seats. As you walk through the different rows looking for your seat, your mind starts to wander in different places and your excitement to take your place takes over you. You finally find your seat, take the fabric in your hand, shortly you notice it’s a T-shirt, but there’s also a letter from the creative director of Balenciaga himself, Demna Gvasalia. As you read through the letter you can’t help but to feel your emotions taking over you. The letter begins with “The war in Ukraine has triggered the pain of a past trauma I have carried in me since 1993, when the same thing happened in my country and I became a forever refugee,” and ends with “It’s a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance and to the victory of love and peace.” You start questioning everything and you can’t stand in peace in your seat. The show begins. The models are walking down the runway and in the background you hear the designer’s voice reciting a poem by the Ukrainian poet Oleksandr Oles which, he says translates roughly to “your sons will save you”. There is no translation to the poem, you listen to the Ukrainian language and you see how the models struggle to walk through the snow storm, you cannot help but to feel more uncomfortable than ever. You feel empathy.
Personal Take On The Show
It’s quite difficult hosting Fashion week during wartime and most designers are extremely cautious in such times. Other brands raised awareness on the situation in Ukraine through the social media channels and by adding a little detail to their show but Demna, made the show about Ukraine, which completely changed everything. Balenciaga was close to calling off the show, they said that “fashion week feels like some kind of an absurdity but to cancel the show means surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years”. For him this was way beyond fashion, it was personal. Driven by the desire to tell the world his story he managed to cover the most important issues humanity is facing now - climate change, technology taking over and horrific news of war. When Demna was 12 years old he was amongst the 250,000 Georgian refugees forced to leave their homes during Georgia’s civil war. Knowing all the obstacles refugees have to deal with makes him want to not stay silent and take action to support them and give them some hope. According to some, fashion doesn’t have a place in politics but Balenciaga thinks otherwise, for the brand this is a call to action. “We, as a brand, have to do something … we cannot take weapons and go fight there, but we can use our voices,” Demna shared in an interview with Reuters.
The Meaning Behind It
The initial idea of the show was to cover the topic of the climate crisis and virtual reality. The show was supposed to comment on how future generations might perceive the concept of winter. It is about how in the future this might have to be digitally rendered in order to explain what snow is, the feeling of coldness, and the disappearance of winter as a season. The glass wall that separated the audience from the show was a metaphor on that imaginary future reality, creating an IRL livestream of sorts. Using a humanitarian crisis as an aesthetic proved to touch many in the audience and create a powerful show of empathy, something we rarely see on the runway.
At the end of the day, the designer managed to achieve what he does best: It made the audience think and ask questions about themselves as well as about the system. The audience was meant to feel uncomfortable while watching, as this meant realising what refugees are forced to deal with not just in Ukraine, but in Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan and every other country that is living during war time.
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Fashions Finest A/W 22: The Collective with Sustainability and Diversity at its Heart
A true and authentic show of diversity and inclusion were visible at the Fashions Finest Autumn/Winter 2022 London Fashion Week Event. Fashion’s Finest is renowned for showcasing the work of emerging creatives with a focus on sustainable design. On display was a range of unique and beautiful designs.
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London Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2022, the fashion capital which nurtures new and upcoming talent, and this season at Fashion’s Finest was certainly no exception.
AKKA
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The first collection to be showcased was the AKKA, the multi-award-winning brand founded by Montenegrin designer and architect, Aleksandra Dzakovic. As someone who previously gained her master’s degree in architecture, it is not a surprise that Aleksandra’s goal when creating her garments was to “critically examine the relationship between technology and tradition in the dressing culture.” Within the development of the collection, Aleksandra’s use of technology in the product design went hand in hand with ensuring that an entirely sustainable collection was created. Aleksandra uses advanced machines which lead to a reduction in manual labour, and garments are produced to order which erases all possibility of excess wastage in production.
In the AW 22, AKKA displayed a range of garments which were almost paradoxically, perfectly well structured whilst still holding a feminine elegance. The varying lengths and layers of the pieces are evidence of the skill which the designer has in cutting and pattern assembling. This is the skill Aleksandra needed when developing the modular pattern structure: a sustainable method which means if one part of the garment is damaged, it can easily be replaced with another.
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Valentina Lingerie
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Valentina Lingerie is a lingerie and swimwear collection designed by Valentina Grey. Valentina is a recent graduate in Contour Fashion, gaining a first from De Montfort University. The Valentina Lingerie “L'Amore” collection was displayed at Fashion Finest AW 22 with an array of delicate, sensual pieces which were a clear representation of confidence and diversity of modern women.
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Tribal Hotel
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Next up was Tribal Hotel, the sustainable fashion brand by Simona Veilande and “Miko” Rode. In their showcase, the pair showed a spectacle of a-symmetric, deconstructed garments. The contrasts of colours and textures used in the pieces accentuate the impressive design and indeed the tailoring required to produce such garments. In terms of sustainable production, Tribal Hotel use fabrics made mostly from silk organza, which the designers acquire from sample and left-over silk from Italian fabric produces, which ensures that the quality is never compromised.
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Toomey & Koko
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Kofo Jegede was born in Ile-Ife and grew up watching her mother and grandmother making their own Adire textile garments. From here, Kofo created Toomey & Koko which blends both her Nigerian and British heritage into beautiful garments made from reimagined Nigerian fabrics.
The collection includes tailored two pieces, structured blazer dresses, and strong but graceful bardot dresses and tops all shown in vibrant, eye-catching tones and prints. This collection perfectly encapsulates Kofo’s aim of showcasing her heritage.
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Carat 23 and Zarya Azadi
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Designs of true beauty were on display as Carat 23 and Zarya Azadi took to the runway. Zarya is a Kurdish model and designer who founded Dair Design. Zarya showcased her detailed collection with the Carat 23 handbags, the Dutch brand which produces the accessory with entirely vegan and vegetable tanned leather. Zarya’s designs were heavily eye-catching, with sequins and beads featuring often, but excellently fitting with the glamourous theme of the collection.`
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Milena Sayad Knitwear
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Clear talent was on show as Milena Sayad Knitwear showed collection. Milena claims that her brand is all about quality, authenticity and sustainability. In her production, Milena is also following the important conversation surrounding sustainable consumption, and only uses high-quality recyclable materials. Each month, a maximum of 10 pieces are made to ensure that waste is limited. The garments which were seen on the runway were exquisitely fitting and was a completely embodiment of the relaxed chicness which is only increasing in popularity. It is easy to say, the quality of this collection would be able to be seen from a mile away.
Snz Swim
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Founded in 2017 by Eli Wilson, Season Swim presented a minimalist take on swim wear at Fashions Finest with a colouful array of stunning sustainable bikini's.
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MA Student Collective
Following this we saw a Collective consisting of Seronga, Psych Apparel and Soleil Atelier. All three brand founders are currently studying MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Seronga
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Seronga is a brand created by Precious Seronga, a Tanzanian artist who is currently based in London completing her master's degree. When moving here, Precious noticed a misrepresentation of her home country in the British media and made it her mission moving forward to focus her creations to represent the African continent in a more positive light. The Seronga collection displayed Precious’ beautiful designs, decorated with traditional beadwork by Tanzanian craftswomen.
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Psych Apparel
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Gaby Carruthers is the creator of the streetwear brand, Psych Apparel. They’re mission involves creating comfortable, expressive clothing whilst also being size inclusive and minimising waste as much as possible throughout production.
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Soleil Apparel
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Finally, a sophisticated and tasteful collection of eveningwear was shown by Soleil Atelier. The brand story surrounds the designer, Aditi’s, global travels and love for minimalistic and handcrafted inventiveness.
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Pretty Affluent
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Pretty Affluent was founded by the self-taught designer, Frances, in June 2020 when she had no background or experience in fashion. Now, only a year and a half later, Pretty Affluence has a line of both made-to-order, and ready-to-wear garments.
Frances made her fashion week debut with a collection of dainty skirts, blazers, and an amazingly put together layered tulle dress.
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Almara by Aruna Goud
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Almara by Aruna Goud showed a collection of classic couture offering unique, fashionable, and functional clothing. Aruna Goud, the brands founder, put on a show of elegant eveningwear, infused with her Indian heritage, whilst still placing creativity and quality at the forefront of the brand. Aruna chose vibrant, jewel like colours to show her designs, which created a visual spectacle on the runway.
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Midé
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And the final collection of the night, was Midé. Nigerian born Ayomidé, debuted her AW’22 collection appropriately named ‘Heart Felt’ at Fashions Finest AW’22. It is safe to say the brand exhibited a collection of dresses fit for a fairy-tale. It was the complete definition of femininity and elegance. Midé showed an array of handmade, premium quality, bridal-like dresses, which each were hand-finished in a way which ensured they glowed as they were worn down the runway. For the finale piece for Fashions Finest, Ayomidé showed an extravagant yet still effortlessly tasteful cherry red gown. The dress had intricate tulle layering, and a corset top which accentuated the silhouette perfectly.
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The event was warmly received by the audience, and the designers received an enthusiastic applause at the end of the brilliant show. This was a stunning way to end the great success of the Fashions Finest A/W 2022 London Fashion Week show.