An Instagram blogger just bought a custom digital dress for $9,500
Having that special fashion item in the real world can put someone in the spotlight, and now that applies online to.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2019) 'An Instagram blogger just bought a custom digital dress for $9,500', 311 Institute, 12 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/an-instagram-blogger-just-bought-a-custom-digital-dress-for-9500/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
A lot is changing in the fashion world – and in the blogging world too. From the emergence of 3D printed high fashion clothing designed and produced by studios in Miami that mean clothes can be tailored and printed on demand, and 3D printed Nike sneakers, to one size fits all clothing that fits people perfectly thanks to help from a robot, to the rise of virtual bloggers like Instagram’s Lil’Maquella who are now pulling in millions of bucks from real world fashion houses such as Diesel and Prada.
However, nothing stands still, and whether bloggers are real or virtual, now there are design studios emerging that let you buy custom designed, one off, digital clothes that exist only online, that you can use to wow your online followers with.
Instagram post
MINDS. BLOWN. . $9.500 for the first ever digital couture to be auctioned on the blockchain. We actually sold one of our items that has never been physical. Someone owns it now, and will be able to wear it if they choose to. . Created by us, worn by @johwska, auctioned by @Dapper_Labs at #EtherealNY 📸 @bleumode . Thank you everyone for your support and believing in what we do. This is a dream coming true.
A post shared by The Fabricant (@the_fab_ric_ant) on May 11, 2019 at 4:29pm PDT
Dutch startups The Fabricant, a self-proclaimed digital fashion house, Dapper Labs and artist Johanna Jaskowska are an example of this new trend after they recently sold a digital dress, called “Iridescence,” for $9,500 on the blockchain. It's not like buying a costume in a video game either - the creators will 'tailor' it for you based on a photo, and its nature as a blockchain asset both makes it unique and gives it value like cryptocurrency that means that once you’ve had enough of it you could sell it on, in the same way you sell on real second hand clothing. It's also based on 2D patterns used for conventional clothes, so you could theoretically, if you wanted to, create a real life copy
It sounds ludicrous, and to some degree it is. However realistic the clothing looks, the illusion falls apart the moment someone wonders if they can see it in person. And when it can cost as much as real luxury apparel, you might question the wisdom of spending that much money on something so intangible. But this is the modern world, and the modern world is increasingly sci-fi like and weird.
There is, however, some reasoning behind it. It's environmentally friendly, for one. Why use up fabrics on clothing you might only wear a few times? And for some people who have multiple online personas, this is a way of spicing up their image without shopping for real clothes. They're certainly not constrained by the laws of physics like they would with fabric.
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Why does this matter?
Having that special fashion item in the real world can put someone in the spotlight, and now that applies online to.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- View on Instagram → instagram.com
- The Fabricant thefabricant.com
- Dapper Labs dapperlabs.com
- in a video game engadget.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 12 July 2019. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2019). An Instagram blogger just bought a custom digital dress for $9,500. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/an-instagram-blogger-just-bought-a-custom-digital-dress-for-9500/
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