The 2024 Metaverse Fashion Week: All the highlights

The first four-day Metaverse Fashion Week (MVFW) was held in Decentraland, from 24-27 March 2024 to 27 March 2024.

This glittering event was more than a landmark for fashion. It was also a foundation for the metaverse concept and all it will become in the future.

Decentraland is the host of the MVFW. It was built on the Ethereum blockchain. It started as a pixelated grid, then evolved into a 3D universe.

Highlights of 2024 Meta Fashion Week

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, the MVFW featured more than 60 fashion brands and showcased over 500 looks. Other highlights included the presence of famous artists and four after-parties.

The prominent brands and stores represented at the event were Bulova, Estee Lauder, and Bulova.

Visitors could purchase NFTs from fashion brands through Decentraland’s native decentralized cryptocurrency MANA using their digital wallets.

The MVFW also featured digital events that were exclusive to the audience. VIP events included runway events, tech demos, and meet-ups with designers.

Selfridges opens its first store.

The MVFW began with Selfridges, a London-based retailer, opening its flagship store. It featured an immersive experience featuring the Paco Rabanne and Victor Vasarely collections. These tokens are not fungible tokens (NFTs) that can be viewed online by anyone who visits Decentraland.

According to reports, the launch was inspired by the Birmingham store of the retailer and provided a guided tour through the past, history, and highlights via NFTs.

Estee Lauder launches NFT wearable.

Estee Lauder, the renowned beauty brand, launched an NFT wearable with Alex Box. It was inspired by Advanced Night Repair, its famed serum.

VFW offered 10,000 Advanced Night Repair NFTs in a limited number.

Users could claim one NFT wearable to give their avatars a glowing aura. Users can walk through the Advanced Night Repair “Little Brown Bottle” and unlock a Proof of Attendance Protocol badge.

Estee Lauder was Decentraland’s only beauty brand.

Bulova launches the Computrom watch version.

Bulova, a watchmaker, presented a reinterpreted version of its iconic Computrom wristwatch in collaboration with avec D-Cave – which was described as a “lifestyle marketplace.”

The watch can be purchased in both a wearable avatar and physical versions and their NFT.

The Special Edition watch is only available in black and green. It’s limited to 1,000 copies. The watch’s top is made of exhibition-quality mineral crystal. It displays the circuit board inside.

D-CAVE says it features a black IP stainless steel case with a matching bracelet and a green LED time display that can be used in dual time zones.

Bulova will accept BitPay as payment for the physical Standard Edition Computron D–CAVE.

Panel discussions

David Cash, CashLabs Gallery Moderator, moderated significant panel discussions during MVFW.

Alexandre de Betak, a French furniture and fashion designer, was the opening speaker at MVFW.

Another was titled “Entering The Metaverse; Dressing Our Avatars” and featured Nervora Shashi Menon as the founder-CEO, Steven Leaton from Boson Protocol, Genies’ Allison Sturges, Ready Player Me CEO Timmu Toke, Giovanna Casemiro, and more.

A panel discussion on virtual fashion was held with Nick Knight and Calum Knight from Show Studio

CaseLabs panel talks covered digital fashion and e-commerce, the metaverse, virtual Couture, and sustainability.

A two-day film festival organized by SHOWstudio took place at the CashLabs gallery on 26 March and 27 March.

Tommy Hilfiger’s discussion and opening

Tommy Hilfiger, a fashion brand, showcased its spring 2024 collection virtually at the MVFW. A digital store was also opened for visitors to purchase NFTs associated with the label. Boson Protocol was instrumental in Tommy Hilfiger’s growth in the metaverse. Boson Portal on Decentraland allows you to visit the label’s store.

The Hilfiger logo was also available on the unisex hoodie and madras shirt for women. You could also redeem the NFTs to get physical versions of these items.

Justin Banon and Victoria May from Boson Protocol joined metaverse experts Cathy Hackl and Tommy Hilfiger for a fireside conversation about metaverse fashion.

Luxury District with Dolce & Gabanna and Etro, among others

UNXD and Decentraland Foundation opened a new Luxury District. Here was the main luxury catwalk of MVFW.

The district draws inspiration from Avenue Montaigne in Paris and features luxury fashion brands like Dolce & Gabanna, Etro, and luxury watchmaker Franck Müller.

Etro presented the Liquid Paisley collection in the district as part of the MVFW. The digital wearables were launched in partnership with UNXD at the boutique. Decentraland users will receive them once they submit their wallet addresses. The deadline is 31 March.

Decentraland’s first-ever NFT emotes were introduced in the Luxury District. Users got a chance to grab them for free, based on a first-come-first-serve basis.

These NFTs were available at a unique statue in the district — a young floating person with his arms outstretched — made available to them.

Decentraland states that a user must “spam” the ‘Money emote at the statute until a progress bar has been reached. One of three fashion-related NFT emotive emotes will appear in the user’s emote bag. This limit is one per person. All three can be traded on the Decentraland Marketplace.

Dolce & Gabbana’s first runway show at MVFW

Dolce & Gabbana displayed several designs featuring feline models on the MVFW runway.

The cat-faced models stood on a massive ramp in the middle of what looked like a galactic discotheque. They wore unique D&G clothing, including a bright yellow dress with the brand logo.

Fresh Couture was one of the many catwalk shows that took place. It opened a boutique in Decentraland during the VFW.

Sophia, the robot, is present at Metaverse Fashion Week Sophia

The presence of Sophia, a world-famous humanoid robot created and designed by Hanson Robotics in Hong Kong, was one of the highlights of Metaverse Fashion Week. Sophia was seen in several locations around the Decentraland area, especially near MVFW spots like the Raible Fresh Drip zone.

On social media, Decentraland encouraged visitors to spot Sophia anywhere on the platform and post selfies with her on Twitter with the hashtag #findingsophiatherobot. The users were able to win an NFT prize by posting selfies with Sophia on social media.

Twitter users shared their encounters with the robot at the MVFW.

Raible’s Fresh Drip Zone

Raible NFT trading platform Rarible’s Fresh Drip Zone took inspiration from New York City and featured 12 pop-up shops, including Perry Ellis, Fred Segal, and PUMA.

The Fresh Drip Zone featured designers such as The Fabricant and Girl Gang Label, Placebo, and Artisans.

Here you will also find special collections by Vault Swiss watches, and Miss J represented in Crypto Couture.

The area’s center is home to a Rarible store in a dome-shaped shape. Here you can find special NFTs as well as unique curated items. The store also offers giveaways.

Decentraland claims that the Fresh Drip Zone is temporary, but it isn’t clear if it will eventually be demolished after the conclusion to MVFW.

Threedium opens virtual shop mall

Threedium, a 3D engine, teamed up with Craft creative production agency to launch a virtual shopping center at Decentraland during MVFW.

It is interesting to note that the Metaverse Fashion Week was made possible by the Threedium 3D engine. This unique program can instantly convert 2D designs into 3D models.

Threedium Mall hosts many boutiques branded by global brands, including Dolce & Gabbana and Casablanca. The mall also featured offerings from brands that only exist in virtual space, such as DeadFellaz or FangGang.

Cathy Hackl delivered a welcome speech to the mall’s inauguration in her avatar.

Multiple parties with renowned DJs and singers

At the end of the third day, Nicki Nicole, an Argentinian singer, and rapper performed at an after-party.

Nicole is now one of the most prominent names in Latin American and Spanish music.

She was nominated for Latin Grammys and other major Spanish and Argentine music awards. Nicole was also at Coachella, and she made her US TV debut on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show 2024.

Day 3 featured DJ Bob Sinclair, who opened the night with a performance on a set by Hogan, an Italian lifestyle brand. This event was organized in collaboration with the NFT platform Exclusive. It was described as the “first-ever metaverse dance competition.”

Marc-O-Matic

Marc-O-Matic, an independent artist, opened a store at the Metaverse Fashion Week. The designer thanked Rarible for their opportunity and thanked Meta key on Twitter. Unique creations were available for shoppers to explore, such as the three-piece Space Jockey set that looked like a futuristic spacesuit.