Everything to know about Decentraland’s upcoming Metaverse Fashion Week

Virtual social world Decentraland is continuing its preparations for the launch of Metaverse Fashion Week, set to take place from March 24 to 27. Over the four day period, Decentraland will be host to runway shows, fashion experiences, pop-up shops and afterparties, exhibiting digital, wearable designs by big name designers.

The fashion industry as a whole has continued to ramp up its metaverse presence over the past few years, and the extent of this upcoming virtual fashion week shows how prominent the digital world has actually become for creators.

“Fashion and haute couture are not new to the metaverse,” said Decentraland Foundation’s creative director, Sam Hamilton, in a release. “Decentraland has been on the cutting edge of rare and in-demand digital fashion since the launch of avatar wearables in 2020. Since that time, creators have been pushing both the technical and stylistic limits of Decentraland wearables, and have created a booming economy with over one million dollars in sales of avatar wearables last year.”

Luxury sector activations

Set in Decentraland’s newest Luxury Fashion District, non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace UNXD and Vogue Arabia will be presenting multiple catwalks by some of the industry’s most distinguished fashion brands. Dolce & Gabbana, Dundas and Etro will be among those showing on the runway, as well as digital fashion brands like The Fabricant and a selection of newer designers making their virtual debut.

Kicking off the event, Selfridges will be revealing its metaverse flagship store at the location, next to an immersive experience by Paco Rabanne and Victor Vasarely. The virtual shopping district already houses retail locations and activations by a number of notable brands, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Elie Saab and Franck Muller, as well as stores that sell DressX’s collaboration with Merts Otsamo and Nicholas Kirkwood’s White Rabbit NFT line. Chinese couturier Guo Pei will be a further addition to the event, displaying a sensorial experience in cooperation with UNXD.

A cohort of immersive experiences, marketplaces and activations

Alongside the expansive schedule of runway shows and shoppable collections, Decentraland activations will be present throughout almost its entire virtual world. Charli Cohen’s Electric/City experience, an online world inspired by the designer’s Pokémon collection, will be available for viewing, as well as Metaparty’s Community Precinct, featuring mini-games, and a MetaTokyo pop-up museum, with work by fashion photographers on show.

A number of digital organisations have also sponsored select designers to appear in their dedicated zones. NFT marketplace Rarible will be sponsoring Decentraland’s Designers Street, hosting an area for emerging streetwear designers and driving exclusive apparel drops by the likes of The Fabricant, Perry Ellis, Fresh Couture and Placebo. Dragon City will be bringing a selection of Asian designers and brands to its virtual space, while the Metaloop by Kollectiff area will host runway shows by brands such as Cider, Anrealage and 8sian.

Art and film are also to play a prominent role during the event and will be mostly housed in CashLabs’ Art Gallery and Screening Room, at which a number of exhibitions by renowned artists are set to take place. A dedicated movie theatre in the virtual space will present fashion films by brands like Chanel and House of Lanvin, while several fashion talks by leading industry experts will be hosted by the CashLabs team.

Last but not the least, after-show parties by Dolce & Gabbana, Faith Connexion and Faith Tribe x Blondish will round each day out, reminiscent of the typical fashion week schedule.