👓 What happened to Virtual Fitting Rooms?

AND: Balenciaga, Obey and Supreme product drops

Mar 6, 2022

Welcome to issue #054. What happened to all the hype around virtual try-on technology? I really haven’t heard much about it since Amazon launched its version back in 2020.

But there’s a buzz about it again. We’ll take a look at why virtual try-on tech hasn’t hit the mainstream, who’s working on it, and what’s next for the futuristic technology.

We’ve also got drops from Balenciaga, Obey and Supreme this week. Don’t forget to check them out at the bottom!

contents:

brand of the week
virtual try-on technology
what’s in my closet
threads
what’s on the coffee table
aesthetically pleasing
upcoming product drops

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P.S. As many of you have heard, Ukraine is at war. Here’s a list of brands you can support…

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7 DAYS ACTIVE

7 DAYS is an activewear label dedicated to inspiring individual stories of motion for the mind, body, and soul. Creating functional pieces for an active lifestyle on and off-court.

7 DAYS was established in Copenhagen in the spring of 2019 by Malkit Singh and Anders Degn, with the purpose of being active in a fashionable way.

Their foundation is built on inspiration from athletes all over the world doing what they love, from boxing and basketball to surfing and skiing. It’s all about the passion for what you do, and the pursuit of being the best you can be.

Check em' out →

Tech companies have been promising virtual sizing solutions for a long long time. Remember that weird Amazon wardrobe device? Yeah… didn’t do so hot did it. And now companies that are attempting to find solutions are wondering when they’ll have their moment.

This is especially surprising since the pandemic pushed e-commerce companies ahead 5-10 years. And this type of technology is seriously needed for e-commerce brands for the sole fact that they are struggling with a large number of returns. And it’s a little weird why they haven’t succeeded… in a time where consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with 3D tech with movement into the metaverse.

You could probably blame a crowded market for this. Brands are doing the best they can to stand out and garner loyalty. And it’s becoming harder and harder to do this. But there are a few companies starting to make a push. A company called 3DLook is an AI-powered virtual fitting room that scans users' bodies and creates personalized avatars. Interest from investors has blown up this (with a level of activity 10 to 20 times more than last year) year with companies like 3DLook raising a total of $14.7 Million.

But companies like 3DLook face an uphill battle. They need to succeed in a place they haven’t before and create affinity for something that folks don’t really have an appetite for yet. It requires a serious behavior change, which can be a significant hurdle. But this moment can be different as we start to think about virtual worlds as an actual thing and not just a pipedream.

We’ve already started to use some of this tech. I’m sure you’ve used try-on tools for furniture and glasses? It’s a little awkward, but it does kind of work… 3D garments are more complex, but they can start to be more swallowable if the tech works.

Visualization experiences are way different than they were a few years ago. As consumers, we’re more comfortable with 3D technology that’s already in apps like Snapchat. It’s become a regular thing.

But for it to go mainstream, we’ll need to produce more data around fit preferences, different materials, styles. And Virtual goods aren’t the easiest thing to render. I mean look at the Pixelmon debacle. I think the way in is for brands to beta test with their most loyal customers, and depend on them to push this tech from the inside out. We’re a long way away, but the inevitable is right around the corner.

👕 T-shirt → Pas de Mer is an independent brand born in Italy in 2011. An unconventional sarcastic vision that translates what stimulates him into essential but disruptive illustrations.

🎒 Backpack → FDMTL, launched in 2005, is a Tokyo-based brand producing Japanese indigo garments. FDMTL is well-known for its "boro" fabric, textile with patchwork.

🧢 Cap → New Era How You Doin FRIENDS 9FORTY Cap

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