Outernet Partners With FIA to Create Fashion Metaverse

Outernet London and the Fashion Innovation Agency based at London College of Fashion, UAL, have come together on a collaboration to bring immersive experiences to the high street by providing a new platform to showcase physical brands and products inside breath-taking digital worlds.

To create the project, the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA) integrated the work of two graduates from London College of Fashion, UAL’s MA Costume Design for Performance course (Nitin Parmar and Elisabeth Sur) to create cutting-edge virtual environments directly inspired by the designers' costumes using Epic’s Unreal game-engine technology. FIA then displayed these as moving digital backdrops on Outernet London’s screens while dancers, wearing the same costumes, performed choreography reflecting the backstory of the garments as well as the immersive world surrounding them. This collaboration is the first real-time digital and physical fashion experience explored in our brand new district.

Through this project, Outernet London and the Fashion Innovation Agency aim to demonstrate how physical garments and products captured within digital environments can create compelling fashion spectacles and unlimited retail engagement possibilities that evolve and adapt according to whomever enters the space and in turn can create completely unique and personalised individual experiences.

Matthew Drinkwater, Head of the Fashion Innovation Agency at Head of London College of Fashion, UAL said:

"At a time when physical retail has been under pressure, the arrival of Outernet London will return a sense of wonder to the capital. These giant digital backdrops will allow us to create engaging immersive retail experiences, where the collision of digital content with live entertainment and shopping provide a truly unique experience for each and every visitor." 

Jody Malam, Creative Director at Outernet London said:

"We’ve really wanted to work with London College of Fashion’s FIA and some of their young designers since first talking to them about collaborating. Our ground-breaking immersive media and culture district is perfect for this type of project, so we’re delighted to see our partnership come to life so vividly. Fashion is a highly creative industry and new talent is always crucial to keep it evolving so we are proud to help support what the FIA do."