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When exploring new technologies — including NFTs and metaverse tech — the temptation is to focus on what’s next. But what about the past? Fashion is discovering that tech can also breathe new life into old pieces.
Next week, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will open its doors to The Costume Institute’s spring 2024 exhibition, ‘Sleeping Beauties’, which will reawaken a number of historic garments in new ways. Multiple dresses have been digitised and animated using the same special effects seen in gaming and film, while a historic figure has been “brought to life” through generative AI. The purpose is both practical — some garments are too delicate to display physically — and fantastical, enabling archival pieces to become once again interactive and dynamic.
It’s not only the Met. For the past few years, designers, collectors and developers have been testing technologies that introduce new generations to their most important pieces, add value to secondhand products and preserve the past.
Earlier this month, vintage expert and Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso returned to her roots — which began on Ebay — by curating a collection of one-of-one “metal” tees, from bands including AC/DC, Metallica and Sonic Youth, from the ’80s and ’90s. Through a partnership with Web3 fashion startup Mntge, owners of the collectible pieces can scan NFC-chipped tags to access more details on their cultural relevance. The new owner of a Jefferson Starship ‘Modern Times’ tour tee from 1981, for example, will learn about the legal battle behind the psychedelic rock band’s name change from “Jefferson Airplane” to “Starship”, ultimately teeing up their well-known hit, ‘We Built This City’.
And next month in London, Christie’s will display digitised versions of Vivienne Westwood pieces using holographic technology from tech company Proto Hologram. Elton John has introduced the Roblox generation to the bedazzled baseball-inspired costume he wore to perform in Los Angeles’s Dodger Stadium in 1975 via digitised items sold in his metaverse world, which opened in November 2022. And designer Norma Kamali, keenly aware that her namesake brand will outlive her, has this year been training an AI model to create in her style once she is no longer able to.
This comes at a time when practicality prevails. Secondhand clothing has become a first stop for stylish and climate-aware Gen Zs, and vintage or archival fashion has become a top choice on the red carpet. Luxury brands are considering how they can harness new value from their existing canons by investing in their own secondhand pilots, adding a Web3 layer to deadstock recreations and curating virtual exhibits that mine the magic of their heritage for future customers. It’s now very ‘in’ to be old — and technology is key.
Holograms have “contributed significantly to preserving history and maximising visibility of the art and objects we offer to our clients”, says Bonnie Brennan, president of Christie’s Americas, which has also displayed a dress from disco star Donna Summer via hologram, among other artworks. This technology reduces the company’s carbon footprint, protects the pieces from wear and tear during travel, and appeals to a new generation, contributing to a steady annual increase of more than 30 per cent in new buyers over the past three years, Brennan says.
At the Met, whose costume exhibits tend to attract record attendance, pieces will be seen in movement for the first time in centuries. A narrow evening dress from 1913, for instance, required wearers to essentially “hobble” as they walked; for the exhibition, curators worked with photographer Nick Knight’s Showstudio to digitise and display the dress via a light-projection technique called “Pepper’s ghost”. With technologies like these, the exhibition endeavours to animate these artworks “with vibrancy, with dynamism and ultimately, with life”, said Andrew Bolton, head curator at The Costume Institute, in a release.
3D renderings, capture via 3D design software or photography, can allow viewers to see digital, photorealistic garments up close. For the Proto holograms used by Christie’s, the garments are photographed in 360 degrees in a special studio, then displayed in 4K resolution via a life-sized rectangular box. This enables garments to travel the world and to be seen at close range, without the same degradation or security risks, says Proto Hologram advisor and head of media Owen Phillips. The item can spin in a circle, appear to blow in the breeze, be placed on an (also-digital) mannequin, or rotate with multiple other displays; and the lighting can even be precise enough to glisten on sequins, he says.
Stores and physical spaces can benefit from digital projections. Nike has tested bringing its archival pieces in-store via augmented reality, whereby shoppers could scan in-store QR codes to view the digitised pieces. Proto Hologram has worked with brands including H&M, Burberry and Nike to display people and products in store, and he sees big opportunities for brands or museums to display pieces where they might not normally be able to be seen; a sweater worn by Diana, Princess of Wales could make a splash at JFK airport, or a celebrity red carpet dress could be displayed in multiple store windows. Even the celebrity’s image could be in multiple places at once via hologram. (John recorded a video for a Christie’s hologram.)
Sometimes, technology also enables people to wear pieces from the past. Jason Wu, working with digital fashion platform DressX, created a digital version of the gown that was made for First Lady Michelle Obama for the 2009 Inaugural Ball. While the physical dress is displayed at The National Museum of American History, the digital version sold as an NFT for ETH 6 (about $9,000) in 2022. In 2019, a London pop-up offered people the option to “try on” digital fashion inspired by David Bowie’s personal style.
For John’s Roblox experience, the intent was to introduce his work in a way that would be interactive and compelling, rather than static copies, says Geeiq account director Barney Lynch, who worked with the music artist’s team on the project. This included inviting young Roblox creators to create digital outfits inspired by John’s originals. “We intentionally wanted to give Roblox creators the opportunity to put their own spin on Elton’s outfits from the past, instead of just asking them to create digital replicas. This was not only to empower their creativity, but also to make sure we were showing an understanding and appreciation of Roblox-community culture and trends, staying authentic to Elton’s past looks but evolving them in ways that only a digital environment and toolset could.” The most popular digital garment sold was the “Duck Suit”, famously worn by John for a performance in Central Park in 1980.
“The immortalisation of his iconic fashion on Roblox not only empowered a community of digital creators, but it exposed his legacy to new audiences that aren't always accessible through traditional media,” says David Furnish, John’s husband and the CEO of Rocket Entertainment Group, John’s company.
Ralph Lauren has taken a similar approach, having brought iconic pieces from its heritage to Roblox and Fortnite, whose players aren’t likely to have encountered the originals in the flesh. Its Roblox experience in December 2021 included pieces inspired by Ralph Lauren’s Polo Sport line from the 1990s, which are typically hard to find in physical resale environments. (Its Fortnite appearance included physical recreations of vintage-inspired digital boots.) Gucci has also digitised important pieces and moments from its history on Roblox, in addition to virtual world The Sandbox and in its new immersive experience for the Apple Vision Pro. This supplements its existing physical exhibitions, which similarly emphasise storytelling and nostalgia.
Brands such as Maison Margiela, Coach and Chloé have begun testing attached digital IDs and digital twins, in part to prepare new goods for the resale market and to enhance their value through storytelling and other product details that can live with the piece (even if it changes hands). Prada’s monthly Timecapsule drops of limited-edition pieces have started offering phygital garments made from unused Prada fabric; collectors purchase an NFT attached to the piece and receive a digital twin of the physical garment.
Mntge — a portmanteau of “mint” and “vintage” — also isn’t waiting for new pieces to hit the resale market. Mntge attaches blockchain-based identities to secondhand goods, enabling people to access authentication, certification and information via an NFC chip in a Mntge tag. Co-founder Nick Adler, who founded the company with co-founder and vintage clothing influencer Sean Wotherspoon, says there is untapped value in items that aren’t necessarily luxury, but have become uniquely collectible — such as specific years of Gap tees, concert tees, and old Wrangler and Levi’s products. In February, Mntge released a collection that included limited-edition Wrangler vintage Western shirts and denim jackets spanning from the ’70s to the ’90s, adding a layer of authentication and storytelling that would otherwise be lost.
“Every high-end vintage store you go into has Levi’s, and the secondary Levi’s market is remarkable, but there’s no connection between the master brand and secondhand. We are starting to think about adding the tech and putting the information on-chain. There are so many reasons why it could be more valuable.”
Adler hopes that more brand archivists will proactively participate in adding context to the digital identities of existing pieces via unique details that explain why the piece is special, including who designed or wore it, information about why the material might be better, or archival imagery related to the piece. Once the ID is attached, it can be used to add extras, such as discounts or entry into events. “The storytelling becomes important,” he says. “It has to be fun and digestible — not like reading the back of a cereal box”.
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