Will the metaverse shake up office dress codes?

Stow those shapeless sad-sack sweatpants. Meh to normcore avatars on Microsoft Mesh. Imagine showing up to your next virtual meeting, in a kinetic, digitally-rendered top that conveys your mood and personality?

What sounds like zany science fiction is, in fact, already happening. Fashion-forward social media influencers are snapping up ready-to-wear virtual pants and tops (price range: $30 to $700) to augment their on-screen avatars. As more companies follow Microsoft and Meta into the metaverse, fashion designers like Gala Marija Vrbanic are getting in on the enormous possibilities for self-expression.

“Digital fashion is not an alternative but an evolutionary step,” Vrbanic said at the TEDWomen conference in November. “We are currently at the beginning of this new era—an era where digital garments could become an added layer to our reality, where you will be able to instantly choose to whom you want to present yourself wearing multiple different outfits at the same time using the most advanced technology, like AR or VR. Not only does it allow for self-expression in totally different contexts, but digital fashion can be zero-waste and inclusive, available to users, regardless of their gender, size or race.”

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