When did digital fashion start?
In this exploratory trip, we delve into the past to find how and why digital fashion was born and how its “birth” led to where it is today.
When did digital fashion start? The Commencement.
The collaboration with digital artist Dai Fujiwara in 1999, produced by Miyake virtual garments, expresses the two artists’ long-held interests in digital fashion and materiality, apart from the traditional way of doing fashion.
These original efforts may have been achieved at a very basic level, yet this did not stop the designers and technologists from dreaming and stipulating what was and would be possible in the future.
When did digital fashion start? Virtual worlds continue to become more advanced.
Fashion designers and brands wasted no time capitalizing on the incredible opportunities presented by these virtual spaces to express themselves in advertising and marketing. For instance, in the 2000s, companies like H&M and Nike started introducing digital collections that were very successful within this simulated environment. As a result, the lines between what is real and what is virtual became blurred.
Virtual presentations provide the opportunity for exhibitionists to express themselves differently and to show their creativity, and even such cases will later be assimilated into the mass mentality.
When did digital fashion start? Mainstream Recognition.
Social networking websites like Instagram have created a global platform for designers that are digitally created to be able to project their sketches to millions of users spanning across the globe. In addition, the effect of influencers and celebrities in these processes also needs to be emphasized, as they have been one of the main reasons for well-known digital fashion after wearing head-to-toe virtual clothing in photo shoots and red carpet events.
These partnerships and approvals are among the main elements that contributed to adding digital fashion to the bucket of art and aesthetics.
When did digital fashion start? Technological Advancements.
The digital blockchain technology has brought forth new ways to identify and assign ownership to digital assets and ensure their authenticity. Companies such as The Fabricant are using blockchain technology to establish a new category of fashion products that are only digital and may be acquired, sold, and traded as one-of-a-kind collectibles like fine art paintings.
Such a shift towards digital possession is an underlying revolutionary factor that essentially calls for a radical rethinking of how we conceive and appreciate fashion by eroding the boundaries between the digital and physical spheres.
When did digital fashion start? Looking towards the future.
Based upon the analysis, the digital fashion of the future is now looking good and has great potential. The progressive nature of technology will undoubtedly lead us to even more immersive experiences, which in turn will further shift the space between virtual and real. Not only do we have virtual fashion shows but also individual customers' digital avatars. These possibilities are seemingly endless. 
The future of virtual try-ons in fashion is bright and definitely one step ahead. The use of AR and VR technology will ensure that consumers can put on digital clothes in real-time and thus continuously improve the quality of online shopping. Through the adoption of innovation and successful collaboration, the digital fashion industry is set to undergo a paradigm shift in the whole value chain of the fashion society, which leads to an era of innovation and original self-expression.
In the words of the proverb, ‘Sometimes, necessity is the mother of invention’, is the journey of digital fashion from its humble beginnings to its current loveliness based on technological advances and ingenuity. Although the question of whom digital fashion got started has no clear answer, the power of its incursion on the fashion industry and pop culture cannot be dismissed. As we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, one thing is certain: the digital fashion segment is a trend now, creatively making a place not only for itself but for people to express themselves as well, even in the digital era.