Virtual Retail Sales are Hot, Hot Hot!

This week there is a MUST READ article by By Jayne O’Donnell, USA TODAY titled,” Unlike reality, virtual retail sales are hot, especially for avatars. ” The article verifies the trends that the Fashion Research Institute has previously concluded. Millions of people are buying virtual fashion items and sales are booming.

There is a section that illustrates CEOS’ AVATARS: What virtual-world execs find fashionable. Mark Kingdon CEO of  Linden Lab, Neil Edwards CEO of Cellufun and Cary Rosenzweig CEO of  IMVU are pictured along with their customized avatars.

Second Life CEO Mark Kingdon states that perhaps the bad economic conditions in the real world are positively impacting sales in the virtual worlds.

“Virtual goods cost a fraction of what goods cost in the real world,” Kingdon says. “You can get a beautiful pair of white ice skates for … less than $2.”

The USA Today article has a short explanation of how the buying and selling process works in a virtual world but if you want to know how it works in Second Life – listen to Missy’s virtual internship interview. Missy’s SL Virtual Internship Interview I ask Missy to explain the entire buying and selling process of virtual fashion goods in Second Life.

The USA Today article goes on to state that:

“IMVU, a social-networking site and virtual world that caters to 13- to 24-year-olds, does more than $2 million in sales each month. Almost all of the virtual goods sold on IMVU are made by users, who keep the proceeds. IMVU makes its money selling the credits used to buy virtual goods. Overall December sales are expected to be up 20% over November, and sales will be about $22 million this year, mostly from the direct sale of virtual credits to users.”

In an earlier guest post FRI: Virtual Fashion Internships by Shenlei Winkler [CEO of Fashion Research Institute], she summarized current retail fashion trends for the virtual world:

“we think the virtual goods marketplace will burgeon rapidly. In 2007, virtual goods accounted for $2.6 billion in sales.  Although the total value of virtual goods pales in comparison to the $1.7 trillion apparel industry, this market compares very favorably with the accessories market which generates about $1.8 billion in sales.  Various analyst reports indicate that the virtual goods marketplace is set to double in 2010.  Fashion designers are often encouraged to move into handbags and other accessories to add a new revenue stream and enable brand extension.  With virtual goods slated to open up further in 2010, designers should definitely consider this new niche market they can readily move into which can help them generate more sales in a completely new area.”

The growing trends of virtual fashion sales and the translation into real currency for this market translates into viable reasons for fashion education to begin addressing the niche market of virtual fashion.

Bella Fantasique – Midnight Sparkle Collection

Here are the images from Missy Lavecchia”s Bella Fantasique – Midnight Sparkle Collection. These are the fashions created for Missy’s first solo show in Second Life last Monday evening titled “Jewels of Winter”.

You don’t actually have to be in-world to purchase these virtual garments. You can go to the Xstreet SL Marketplace, purchase them there and they will automatically be delivered to your inventory in-world or if you purchase them as a gift they will be delivered to your gift recipients inventory in world.

Here is a link to Missy’s Bella Fantastique - Midnight Sparkle collection at Xstreet. If the link does not work correctly go to Xstreet SL Marketplace and search for “Bella Fantastique – Midnight Sparkle.”

Links to other related blog postings about Missy:

• Missy’s SL Virtual Internship Interview
• Virtual Fashion Internship Follow-Up Questions
• Missy Lavecchia in Jewels of Winter
• Missy Lavecchia First Solo Show

Missy Lavecchia in Jewels of Winter

 

Please try to attend the student fashion installation in Second Life this Monday, December 7th from 7-8PM ET [4PM SLT/PT] for Missy Lavecchia, a Buffalo State fashion student. Missy has been interning for the past 9 months with  Shenlei Winkler [aka: Shenlei Flasheart in SL] from the Fashion Research Institute. This installation will represent Missy’s first solo show in Second Life.

Shenlei Winkler, CEO pf the  Research Institute states that:

 ”Missy will be showing formal gowns developed in rich jewel tones in honor of the holiday season.  Her gowns, fittingly enough, will be presented in an opulent winter wonderland of snow and ice.  A dozen gorgeous models and 4 handsome gentlemen callers will showcase Missy’s romantic gowns in a tableaux befitting the set.

Please join us on Monday December 7th, at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT in Shengri La Second Life to celebrate the outstanding work of this star performer as her models show her work with aplomb.

Here’s the SLurl Link to teleport you into SL for Missy’s show: The set will not be open to the public until 7 pm ET promptly – early arrivals will just end up wandering aimlessly around in our marketplace so please wait until 7pm ET to teleport over.”

Missy has the Bella Fantastique boutique in Second Life. Here is a SLURL link to her boutique.

Other blog postings related to Missy:

Missy’s SL Virtual Internship Interview

Virtual Fashion Internship Follow-Up Questions

Missy Lavecchia First Solo Show

Bella Fantasique – Midnight Sparkle Collection

FRI: Virtual Fashion Internships

Shineli Winkler, CEO of FRI

[Note: this is a guest post by Shenlei Winkler, CEO of the Fashion Research Institute, Inc., 419 Lafayette, NYC, NY 10013 [ph 646-688-4042] [fx 646-688-4043]

• Author, Designing Dreams: Best Practices for the Art & Business of Avatar Apparel Design & Development
• Author, Shengri La Spirit: A Designer’s Perspective of the Making of OpenSim

Fashion Research Institute has been working in virtual worlds for the past few years, exploring them as platforms and tools for use by the $1.7 trillion apparel industry.  We have since developed a design application, Black Dress Design Studio, which is currently in closed alpha. Black Dress shows promise of being a disruptive technology for the industry, as well as a game changer for the way product is developed in both apparel and in the much larger soft consumer goods industries.

As we worked in the virtual world space, our understanding of both the potential power and range of the platform, and our understanding of how to educate fashion designers using virtual world platforms grew and changed.  We knew that understanding how people learn is as critical to our success in bringing our application to market as making sure the application is ‘right’.  With that understanding as a basis, we launched a series of educational programs, which currently include our Shengri La Marketplace program and our student internships.

Both of these programs focus on educating designers and helping them achieve their dreams.  There are critical differences: the Marketplace program is intended to help designers of virtual goods, or ‘virtua’, develop their label in these virtual spaces.  These designers have varying educational backgrounds and they have a burning desire to create within virtual worlds.  Their product is not intended to ever be manufactured in the industrial complex, nor will it be sold through usual apparel industry retail channels.  This product is sold to the users of avatars for some of the same reasons we buy real life apparel – we want to customize our appearance in a way that sends a message to people who see us.  Obviously in a virtual world we don’t need to be concerned about fit or function, nor on manufacturability, which can be very freeing for the creative spirit.  The Marketplace program has a rolling admission deadline.

The internship program, in contrast, is designed to teach fashion student designers how to go through the process of developing a collection from original concept to final runway show.  Using virtual worlds as the platform, we take our interns through a fast-paced development sequence where they learn about both the art and business of design and development. 

Our internships run about sixteen weeks.  In that time the interns are expected to develop marketing concepts for their label, which include logo, showroom, storefront, customer service policies, packaging, and an overall look and feel for their line.  They use these concepts to present their actual collection to the virtual goods marketplace in Second Life.  The interns are expected to create all components of a collection during their internship – we have them create a mood board, color stories, and materials story, which we keep displayed in their workspace for reference. 

The interns are taught to develop product using the in-world content creation tools.  We maintain presence on several grids, and we usually have them prototype their designs on one of our OpenSim grids because there is no cost for developing on our grids.  When they are ready to develop for the marketplace, they develop their product on the Second life platform, package up their outfits, and place them in vendors.  They receive immediate feedback – either their outfits sell, or they don’t!
Our interns are expected to complete one look a week from their original sketches, developed in 3-6 colorways.  Our goal is to help the interns produce a visual ‘story’ for their portfolio that shows they understand how the product development cycle works in the real life apparel industry.  Using these low risk platforms enables us to take our interns through the process at a nominal cost. They are encouraged to explore the full parameter space of their own creativity. 

Our final project with our interns is to help them produce a full virtual runway show with live models presenting their designs to a general audience.  These shows are group shows where the interns collaborate to define their theme, name the show and determine the run order for the models.  The interns are all individually responsible for styling their models and determining makeup, hair, and accessories to complete the look.  They must also select pre-determined poses for their models to strike at the end of the runway.

FRI has a team of dedicated volunteer models who generously offer their time for fittings and the show.  They also provide needed moral support and encouragement.  The FRI team builds the runway and make sure that all of the models are correctly styled.  We also manage the overall show including media and marketing.  In addition, we have an audience of supporters who are gracious enough to come to the shows and demonstrate their support of our student designers by blogging about their work, buying their work, and simply being present and giving these new talents a bit of an ego boost.  

At the end of the runway show, our interns have a chance to be recognized for all of their hard work by taking a bow on the runway.  They depart with valuable experience in the real life development process.  We stop short of pulling physical samples but the design cycle is the same and when the time comes for them to enter the work force, they will recognize the design process because they have already been through it. The educational process is fast-paced and demanding, and we set very high standards for them to reach. 

Virtual Goods Marketplace Trends

We’re particularly excited to be working with our student interns from Buffalo State university because we think the virtual goods marketplace will burgeon rapidly. In 2007, virtual goods accounted for $2.6 billion in sales.  Although the total value of virtual goods pales in comparison to the $1.7 trillion apparel industry, this market compares very favorably with the accessories market which generates about $1.8 billion in sales.  Various analyst reports indicate that the virtual goods marketplace is set to double in 2010.  Fashion designers are often encouraged to move into handbags and other accessories to add a new revenue stream and enable brand extension.  With virtual goods slated to open up further in 2010, designers should definitely consider this new niche market they can readily move into which can help them generate more sales in a completely new area.

Not only is there a business case to be made for providing design for this niche, but designers can also use the low-risk OpenSim platform to explore new design ideas, and to show their work 24/7 on special runways, where models can walk the catwalk at a touch of the button and show off designs as they are meant to be: in 3D and moving.

Virtual/Real Runway 3.0 Project

We are very excited to be working with the talented students designers from Buffalo State University, and we’re very much looking forward to our Spring work with them.  Working virtually, we will be helping them develop the exact same looks to present on our virtual runways as they will be showing in real life in their graduating senior runway show, ‘Runway 3.0′.  Our work with them will extend even outside of our virtual space. We’ll be taking a day to tour them through the fashion district in New York City, the home of fashion.  And finally, we’ll be working with them as technical fashion designers to help them create real world apparel with a decided technical bent: we’re going to help them add motors, lights, and more!

Virtual Intern Applications Being Accepted

We’re accepting new applications for our next internship cycle from Fashion Programs, which begins at the end of January.  Admission is highly selective.  For more information, please visit www.fashionresearchinstitute.com

Virtual Fashion Internship Follow-Up Questions

I would like to include a link to the Bella Fantasique blog that Missy started when her virtual fashion brand concept was developed in the summer of 2009. If you would like to visit Missy’s Bella Fantasique store in Second Life to see all the virtual fashion garments she has developed for yourself here is a SLurl to teleport you there. If you do not want to visit in-world yet but would like to see Missy’s fashions here is a link to her fashion products on the XSTREET Marketplace. You can purchase something there and have it delivered in-world to you or to someone else as a virtual gift.

 After  Missy’s SL Virtual Internship Interview ended and I uploaded the podcast, I thought of some additional questions others may have for Missy regarding this entire virtual internship experience. I sent the questions to Missy and her responses are below.

1. Are your Second Life experiences relavant to any of your fashion education classes? If so in what way? 

My Second Life experiences are related to two fashion classes I have taken at Buffalo State college thus far, FTT208:Introduction to Fashion Technologies and FTT308: FashionCAD. Both are fashion CAD classes, using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Once I learned the basics in those two classes, I was able to learn so much more about those programs.
 
2. Do you feel that the experiences that you are simulating in second life regarding developing a brand and coordinated fashion lines, presenting and merchandising your brand integrates and simulates the knowledge and skills that you are learning in your fashion education classes?

If anything else, Second Life inspires me. I am eager to create and design garments and have the ability to change what I am making with a simple click of a button, instead of having to completely redo a sewn garment. I am faster at finding ways to get things done more efficiently in my fashion classes.
 
3. Are your fashion design and merchandising related experiences in Second Life providing you with a clearer  picture of what is involved in the real world design and merchandising process? If so how?

Second Life is making having a fashion line real to me. It’s a fast pace enviroment and putting your ideas into Photoshop and Illustrator and then into Second Life virtually shows an image of what my designs would look like on a body, without the cost of materials and sewing time. I like seeing the progression of sketches to actual garments, and it cuts time so much shorter to see it on a virtual body first to make sure everything looks they way I want it. I also have always had a love for marketing and the business side of fashion, and I get to do this in SL by running my store and modeling. So it’s the best of both worlds… literally. [note from e.polvinen: Missy really does mean this literally because the Lindens $L she makes from selling her virtual fashions are easily converted into $US dollars.]
 
4. Would you recommend a virtual fashion design and merchandising experience to other fashion students?

I absolutely would recommend virtual design to other fashion students because that is where technology is taking us. If we have the programs available, it doesn’t hurt to get familiar with them, in order to make presentations and amazing concept boards. So many things are done now with the computer, so why not make fashion with it too?

From my own experience as a professor teaching fashion students introduction to fashion concepts in Second Life for the last three years, it is an ideal platform for developing unified fashion garment/line /brand concepts,  building presentation skills, organizational skills, fashion terminology, business and marketing skills…and it’s an opportunity to makes real $$$.

Other blog postings related to Missy:

Missy’s SL Virtual Internship Interview

Missy Lavecchia in Jewels of Winter

Missy Lavecchia First Solo Show

Bella Fantasique – Midnight Sparkle Collection

Missy’s SL Virtual Internship Interview

 

Missy’s Virtual Fashion Internship

In this Virtual Fashion Internship podcast I am asking Missy questions regarding the virtual internship PowerPoint she submitted to me upon completion of the project. Missy aka: Missy Lavecchia in Second Life  is one of two Buffalo State Fashion Technology students that completed a virtual internship with Shenlei Winkler aka Shenlei Flasheart from the Fashion Research Institute in the summer of 2009. We are viewing the PowerPoint as we are discussing the internship.

We have been attempting to schedule this interview since September. After multiple postponements we finally managed to complete it in my campus office last Wednesday. I did not even notice the traffic noise in the background [including an ambulance] until after the interview was completed. We were viewing Missy’s PowerPoint as we discussed her reactions to the entire virtual internship experience.

You will hear in the interview that she developed a concept board for her brand, a color palette for her collection, presentation  boards and packages as well as a customer service policy. Once her collection was completed she participated in a well attended virtual fashion show titled Fluid with two other interns.

Other blog postings related to Missy:

Virtual Fashion Internship Follow-Up Questions

Missy Lavecchia in Jewels of Winter

Missy Lavecchia First Solo Show

Bella Fantasique – Midnight Sparkle Collection

Here is a link to The Fluid Fashion show event that was the culmination of the internships for three fashion students.

Technology Day at FIT – Part IV

Technology Day at FIT: Teaching and learning in Four Dimensions

Panel Presentation: Preparing the Next Generation of Industry Executives for the next Generation of Marketing Tools: YouTube and More. Susan Reda, Executive Director of Stores Magazine, Kathy Savitt, Chief Marketing Officer, American Eagle Outfitters & David Polinchock, Founder and Chief Experience Officer, Brand Experience Lab.

Ms. Savitt began speaking about AEO – American Eagle Outfitters. Their mission is to be generous with their brand. She stated that, “Content is King, distribution is Queen and the Arch Duchess.”

77E is a dedicated unscripted content entertainment platform on A&E. MTV will run the show. It has unscripted content with social community building blocks via Stylehive, a new media application. Stylehive is a social community where users can share and bookmark trends. [note: another similar community is Stylefeeder]

No sharing between divisions was mentioned by David Polinchock as an example of a growth stifling issue within a company. [note: that is also true in an educational institution.] He went on to state that some of the rules are changing with new instant social community media. An example was described about a customer that had a very unpleasant experience trying on clothing at a well-known retailer – the experience was “twittered” from the dressing room and was immediately picked up and amplified by multiple blogs.

YouTube was mentioned as a new media and postings of the The Charmin Potty Party promotion. The Charmin Potty Party was group of custom designed Charmin Bathrooms set up in Times Square as a Christmas gift to New Yorkers in 2006.

An example of a brand that uses new media technology to their advantage is Zappos. They made use of Twitter  as a promotional community marketing and promotional tool by selecting someone from their Twitter community for a free pair of shoes.

The panel mentioned some  top leaders in the next generation marketing and why they stand out.

• Zappos Twitter channel – they are using new channels and helping people engage.
• E-Shirts – took an industry that never changed and to rethink how they do business.
• Nike ID on  Facebook– a consumer destination for designing personalizing and customizing NIKEID footwear, apparel and equipment.
• Webkinz – building a social marketing community

When something is launched online there is immediate attention. Relevance is now the criteria. Unscripted content like concerts, music, spring break is not vulnerable but scripted content is vulnerable because when you create scripted content you may get comments that you don’t want.

The panelists felt Second Life would evolve into a mixed reality. They mentioned some RL business ventures and why they “dabbled” in SL but then abandoned it after 12-18 months. Many business people walked away perhaps because they did not take the time to truly understand how to integrate the RL and the virtual world experiences. Businesses did not want to get involved if they did not want to deliver a unique and compelling experience.

One of the biggest problems with a brand trying new things is that they don’t understand the media. Unless they really make a commitment and find their voice they will be lost. The definition of success differs from brand to brand. If the focus is “only” on the product or “only” on the brand you could get in trouble with your message but if focus is “only” on the customer then stupid irrelevant material will not be developed if new media is your content.

The panel discussed “standards” on a site. They stated that standards can be limiting but some people go to a place specifically because they have standards. There is room a a lot of different options regarding standards.

How new marketing tools could impact marketing strategies was a topic of discussion. New media is an unbelievable opportunity to get customer data. [note: the new viral marketing tool that MVM has developed for retailers popped into my mind at this point]

New media:

• offers a way for companies to get smart.
• empowers companies to directly engage with their customer base.
• enables creation of a customer community that can be integrated into a company Website.
• provides branding authenticity.
• provides companies the opportunity to engage outside of the bricks and mortar.

Because of the new media tools – people are using brands to do more. And finally the most important statement for last  – companies that focus and serve customers will take on a level of honesty that is contagious.

Raymond Yee, Author of Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services presented “Create Mashups to make the Web Your Own.”

Raymond gave an excellent demonstration of what is involved in building a customized mashup with the Pipes Web application. He also demonstrated the Picnik application that is integrated into FLICKR  to photo edit images on the Web.

 Raymond also spoke about the Open Source FLICKR viewer in Sl.  Here is a link to an article about it. This is a fantastic development! Up until now we had to upload each image that was needed to present a slide presentation in SL for $10L each upload. Now it will be possible to use our FLICKR images to project into SL.

 …to be continued.

Link to my FLICKR images from the conference.

© 2008 All Rights Reserved.

Technology Day at FIT Part II

Technology Day at FIT: Teaching and learning in Four Dimensions

I was next at Technology Day at FIT to present “My Avatar Myself: How Avatars are Transforming Product Development, Marketing, Retailing and Education.”

My presentation was an expansive overview of how avatars that represent personal representations of the user are totally and completely transforming all aspects of fashion product development, marketing, retailing and how fashion education can respond.

I began my presentation with the OptiTex Red Dress video to illustrate what a multidimensional product development application is capable of producing. I have been totally immersed in researching and retooling on cutting edge technology for fashion/textiles education for the last 20 or so years and I have never witnessed technology transforming as quickly as it currently is now shifting over to 3D and virtual reality.

There is just no way a software application company can keep up internally with the changes taking place in the industry without forming multiple external liaisons and partnerships. In the same vein there is no way that retailers can respond to the mass personalization and customization [MCP] trend that the user centric social community market is driving without shifting to an integrated multidimensional product development and/or retailing application. The user is totally driving the market that is requiring these transformational changes. Fashion education in turn can successfully respond to this transformational technology and market trend by also forming liaisons, partnerships and linkages with industry and other fashion educators on a global level. Sharing resources, knowledge and skills regarding this shift over to multidimensional product development, MCP marketing and retailing will enable a quick and positive response to prepare future entry level professionals for the fashion industry.

At the time I was researching for a manuscript I was working on last fall, one of the reasons that OptiTex caught my eye was because they were the only apparel/textile application I could locate that had formulated a variety of highly successful partnerships and/or liaisons that resulted in novel and creative  pre-marketing, and MCP marketing applications (in addition to a relatiively uniform level of development of multiple modules). This company was definitely ahead of the MCP social community trend that is currently taking place in the fashion industry. Technology leadership today is a precarious position to be in for any company especially when you have a multidimensional application that requires cutting edge development for multiple modular applications. It’s a high speed, high stakes race to the future – correctly predicting and preparing for future trends at the warp speed that is required for todays software applications. Quick response is a definite stratigic market positioning advantage.

A multidimensional system empowers the user to work seamlessly from 2D to 3D and back to 2D again in real time. And most important to retailers is to develop the product in digital content from square one. This equals BIG $$$ and time savings as well as enabling pre-marketing and MCP options. Why even discuss the lack of global sizing standards when parametric sizing is possible and fit models can simply body scan themselves into becoming the 3D virtual avatar dress forms that are then used to design and create a brands garments on? A brand can focus on developing sizing standards for their target customers. Multiple functions were displayed in the presentation that are mentioned in previous posts:

• Simultaneous multidimensional work flow
• Develop flat pattern directly from drawing on the 3D avatar fit mannequin, stitch 2D pattern into 3D garment.
• Body scan a brands fit models, industry form plug-in, annimated fit testing.
• Using digital product development content to pre-market.
• [note: search for "OptiTex" to locate more items.]

 Where is this mass customization emerging from? Think Webkinz – a multi-million dollar success story that involves exceptionally cute little furry avatar creatures that young children love. And who knows a young WebKinz addicted child that only has one Webkinz? Purchase of these little avatars enable entry into a very special social community that empowers the owner to do all sorts of things on line. And just to keep the purchases strong there they “expire” after one year, while others are forced into ”retirement,” and there are continual introductions to new Webkinz [see video below]. Open your wallets!

Club Penquin is another on line social community that markets to young children leading to Barbie online and the Meez social community. The ability to make the animated Meez gifs in such a variety of backgrounds and movements had led kids to string them together to make some creative videos [see video posted below]. Search for Meez on You Tube. Oh yes I almost forgot all the Meez clothes are available for purchase at Sears. Sweet marketing concept.

The Club Penquin avatars [video below] have also inspired some creative YouTube videos

The crème de la crème of this trend for the youth market is the Sims and H&M “Where Fashion Design and the Virtual World Meet,” branding and promotion that created the Sims2 H&M Fashion Runway product. The on line Sims2 H&M Fashion Runway community votes to select the best design that will be produced for the H&M product line – what a creative and unique personalization and social community concept. This is an excellent virtual preparation for an emerging fashion design student.

Where is this social marketing trend moving after youngsters, tweens and teens? Try the MVM BrandMe personalized model trend that is rapidly expanding into fashion products. MVM  develops customized user centric applications specifically for retailers that empower the user to personalize their shopping experience and share it with a social community or “push” it to a blog or e-mail.  Viral marketing strategies for retailers are a reality with the MVM Dressing Room and Home Products Outfitting Solutions. Retailers can track buyer’s preferences and offer promotional items based on those preferences. [note: search MVM and/or BrandMe for previous blog posts]

Duel virtual and real world marketing is already taking place. Examples are House of Nyla and the Playboy line developed in partnership with Second Life fashion designers. Virtual World Product Life Management solutions for the apparel industry are currently under development as evidenced by the Black Dress Technology Subsidiary that represents collaboration between the Fashion Research Institute and IBM. A gargantuan virtual world is currently under development in the form of the Cyber Recreation District in Beijing China that has the potential to impact the world economy if successful. The need to download a virtual world application in order to access it may soon be a thing of the past with multiple developers [MetaPlace and SocioTown] to name a few] racing to release the most successful 3D virtual world that is easily accessible via the “flat Web browser” we currently use.

How can education prepare students for the 3D and virtual transformation that we are currently undergoing? Introduce them incrementally to a virtual experience like Second Life. Getting acclimated to a virtual 3D experience will provide them with the ability to think and conceptualize in 3D. Whatever the application they will be required to work on in the real world will be – they will already be halfway there because they have experienced and achieved a level of comfort by completing simulated fashion related projects in a virtual world. Projects like developing fashion collections, exhibits, brand logos, fashion show production, store layout and design, 2.0 Web applications, simultaneous real world/virtual world marketing and promotion.

If fashion education does not initiate the type of quick response solution (that students are taught with regards to the real world) to the unprecedented transformational technology shift that is taking place over to 3D, they run the serious risk of becoming redundant and obsolete and could actually be the driving force for industry to develop private training institutes.

Avatars are permeated throughout product development, marketing and retailing. Their use has multiple benefits for industry in the form of cost effectiveness and quick response, pre-marketing and MCP options. The use of multidimensional applications provide retailers with digital content to pre-market a product to a social community similar to the MCP Sims/H&M branding/marketing concept on a grand scale.

Virtual worlds hold great promise for product development, just-in-time manufacturing and multidimensional retailing. How will industry, retailers and education respond? This is like a massive multi player game of musical chairs [or Survivor] to see who survives and prospers by responding to the users [that are driving the MCP social marketing trend] and by creating strategic linkages.

continued on … Technology Day at FIT Part III

Link to my FLICKR images from the conference.

© 2008 All Rights Reserved.

Technology Day at FIT – Part I

Technology Day at FIT: Teaching and learning in Four Dimensions

Kudos to  Beth Harris, Assistant Professor, History of Art at FIT. She carefully sowed the seeds that started this entire Technology Day Conference at FIT yesterday . She did a wonderful job of presenting an overview of all of the transformative 2D, 3D and virtual technology changes currently taking place in the real world and the effect they will have on the educational world.

• Link to my FLICKR images from the conference
• Vendors that participated in the conference

Steven Zucker and Beth Harris are pictured above. Read Steven’s post on the conference here. Beth Harris started the conference off by introducing Dr. Joyce F. Brown, President of FIT to give the welcoming remarks.

Here is a link to the Bio page for the conference speakers.

The Keynote was The Second Life of Fashion Design: Meta universe as Prototype Platform W. James Au His book is coming out this month — The Making of Second Life and James keeps the blog, New World Notes.

James began the presentation with an explanation of the basics of what a virtual world like Second Life is and how it works on a grid of servers. He spoke of the principles of SL notably: Impression as opposed to consumer. The goal standard in SL is creativity and commercial engagement. Be-bop reality – user created art and mirrored flourishing – the more stuff you do the more important you are in Second Life.

James went on to explain to the group that in SL users make unlikely friendships and alliances based on creative affiliations. He noted that religion, memorials and non-profits are widely represented in SL.  In the area of SL fashion – they are now merging RL and SL brands represented by the Playboy brand that includes SL designs as noted in his article Smart Bunny: Playboy Sells Fashion Created and Co-branded by Second Life Designers.

A novel and relatively new use of virtual reality is the Wickpedia concept for creation of 3D architecture in Second Life.  James mentioned the primary groups in Second Life were: social gamers, role players, fashionistias, capitalists and innovators.

I was kind of disappointed that he did not include educators because from my point of view (as an educator of course) Second Life is expanding on an ever expanding large scale. There are literally hundreds of educational institutions in Second Life. NMC currently has 50 Sims in Second Life and is continually growing. NMC serves over 80 colleges alone in Second Life. Here is a link to NMC’s plans for 2008.

Janine Hawkins aka: Iris Ophelia also presented to the Technology Day Group. She covers fashion for New World Notes and is the Editor of Second Style in SL. She has been a SL fashion journalist since 2006.

Janine spoke about the fashions in SL and mentioned some of the top SL fashion designers as well as the promotional impact that SL fashion publications have by focusing attention on talented new SL fashion designers from all over the world. She mentioned that Japanese designers were very talented but had a language obstacle marking and promoting their designs in SL. The SL fashion publications spotlighted the Japanese designers and drastically reduced and/or eliminated the language obstacle once the SL fashion buying community was aware of their high quality designs. Janine also mentioned that some SL designers are finding success with marketing and promotional strategies for the virtual shopping community. Free items, social events, blogs, virtual community building are all tools of the marketing trade in SL. She spoke about why Sl can be a marketing tool RL businesses and how RL businesses can get it right. Most RL businesses don’t really understand the virtual platform and how to translate their brand values over.

Some SL Designers that Janine spotlighted in her presentation:

• ETD – Elika Tiramisu Designs
• AVEDA – skins
• Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot
• Bare Rose [June Dion] – Japanese Designer. Janine mentioned that June Dion [Bare Rose] has a passion for costuming – she also is marketing savvy and has models and a greeting teams for visitors to her store

Dressing for Two: What Avatars and Their Humans Buy and Wear, by Mary Ellen Gordon, PhD, Managing Director of Marketing Truths.

This presentation was from inside Second Life. Mary Ellen Gordon worked so hard on this presentation and the large projection screen did not seem to do justice to getting a clear view of the various models she had arranged especially for her presentation. On top of that there was a region shutdown 10 minutes into her presentation. She did manage to continue it a bit later in the session.   PowerPoint and/or video link to post Mary Ellen’s research of fashion preferences and buying habits in SL. One strong point I remember from the presentation was that in SL people tend to purchase the reverse of what they purchase in RL.

Pasted below is a link to Mary Ellen Gordon’s Presentation PowerPoint that she  generously is sharing that includes brand new research done by Market Truths.

dressing-for-two-_-what-avatars-and-their-humans-are-buying-and-wearing

Read an interview with Mary Ellen here.

continued on…  Technology Day at FIT Part II

© 2008 All Rights Reserved.

Virtual Product Presentation [VPP]

Virtual Product Presentation [VPP] is using the multi dimensional OptiTex system to create customized industrial patterns and market them directly to the public using the custom avatar imagery that was created in the product development process. [note: Second Life Fashion Designers - here's your chance to make your fashion garments a reality in the real world] VPP is a service bureau specializing in the development of patterns and virtual sampling.This company illustrates a perfect example of what is possible for a company using the OptiTex multi dimensional product development application.

Here is a link to a flash that illustrates how all virtual samples are “stitched” and draped in 3D from real 2D patterns. This animation is actually part of the pattern development process and can also be used for marketing and promotion of the product as is being done for promotion of industrial pattern development by VPP.
If you click on the 3D PatternMaking page and keep clicking “next” you will be able to see the following pattern development steps:

Step One:  you send them a sketch or a painting of the fashion item you would like developed along with body measurements.

Step Two: from this information they will create a 3D virtual mannequin form.

Step Three: they will make a 2D flat pattern and show you the pattern in 3D on your customized virtual mannequin form.

Step Four and Five: They will send you the illustration of how your 2D pattern drapes on to your customized 3D virtual mannequin form.

Step Six: When you receive the customized 3D virtual mannequin form with your garment – you give your comments and sketch any modifications and adjustments you would like to have completed on the pattern and return the form.

Step Seven [front], Step Eight [back]: VPP makes adjustments to the 2D flat pattern and sends you the 3D virtual mannequin form with the modified garment on it for your final approval.

Step Nine: Completed pattern is sent to you.

Garments are not the only product that can be created with the OptiTex multi dimensional product development application. Look at these images of handbags created at VPP…

Here is a link to another handbag. Are they totally amazing? Think about the premarketing possibilities by having the product images available instantly on a 360 degree rotation.

Speaking about having product images available instantly on a 360 degree rotation – this is a very cost cutting and quick response aspect of having an integrated multi dimensional product development application like OptiTex. The product images can be used to pre-market the product or can easily be used for customized try-on’s if the product is being retailed online via a personalized fashion avatar similar to what BrandMe is now offering.

The garments that are currently prepared for the personalized virtual model try-ons have to be photographed in a rotational views and the images need to be prepared by a graphic designer. Backgrounds have to be removed, this takes time and adds additional costs. These steps would be eliminated with an integrated multi dimensional product development application. One system could be used for product development and image/animation development for promotion, advertising and online marketing.

I wrote about this subject before in the Part II: MVM – 3D Virtual Product Development Workflow post.

Accordiong to Louise Guay (Founding President of My Virtual Model), it’s also all about simulation, visualization and prediction. A more cost effective workflow process will justify a return on the initial investment because right now it costs $300.00 to create 3D garments from an existing garment. It would be far more cost effective and easier to produce and justify if a 3D asset is created “before” the actual garment was produced instead if after as it primarily is currently created.

Once the real product is created it’s very difficult to justify it – but if you start with 3D at the beginning then you simulate – you visualize – and you anticipate its potential for sales at the collection level, you will effectively reduce costs. You would start by designing and developing your product virtually and then test the market with a virtual collection.

Here are some examples of VPP rotational views that are used to market a product but keep in mind – once the 2D pattern is in the system, full 360 rotational views are easy to generate.

VPP example one
VPP example two
VPP example three
VPP example four
VPP example five
VPP example six
VPP example seven

VPP also has a section on their company Web site that features the work of Young Designers. Here is a link to a page that will show you their profile, their collections and a slideshow of their virtual work.

This is the VPP Philosophy for Young Designers:

“With many years of experience in starting up and exploiting self-owned brands, as well as producing clothing lines for international brands, VPP’s founders now aim to put their experience into service for young designers.

VPP wants to invest in talent by (partially) realizing clothing lines as a virtual 3D portfolio. This as well as guiding young designers step by step on their way to the market/industry. By testing designs/ideas for industrial feasibility, meanwhile trying to preserve as much as possible from the initial design, the obstacles a young stylist encounters can be reduced to a minimum. With that, the threshold for possible financiers can be taken away.”

VPP is offers a free opportunity for young fashion designers. Virtual Product Presentation makes Virtual Collection’s  for Young designers to give them an opportunity to present themselves to the industry.

They create the 3D virtual customized 3D virtual mannequin form with the fashion garment to use for professional Web portfolio presentation. If the 2D flat pattern is requested for a sewing patterns to make the real sample, it is available for a cost.
If you are interested – send them your contact information.

Previous post: It’s a Reality: OptiTex Enables Total Integration 2D>3D>2D Fashion Product Development

Teaching and Learning in Four Dimensions, April 25th, 2008 at FIT

Teaching and Learning in Four Dimensions will be the theme of Technology Day at FIT [Fashion Institute of Technology] in New Your City on April 25th, 2008.

 The deadline for submitting a proposal is March 15th. Proposals should be no more than 250 words. Possible topics include innovative approaches to online learning, teaching with technology in a specific discipline, hybrid (blended) learning, collaborative teaching models, best practices in using instructional technology, faculty support models, assessing student learning with technology.

 Here is the Technology Day at FIT link.

I will be one of the speakers, my presentation is titled, My Avatar Myself: How Avatars are Transforming Product Development, Marketing, Retailing and Education.

Also presenting will be:

• W. James Au & Janine Hawkins, “The Second Life of Fashion Design: Metaverse as Prototype Platform”
• Shenlei Winkler, Fashion Research Institute
  Leveraging the Power of Virtual Worlds for Product Design
• Raymond Yee, Author of Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services
• Mary Ellen Gordon,
  Dressing for Two: What Avatars and their Humans Buy and Wear
• Louise Guay, CEO of My Virtual Model

Part IV MVM in 2008 – From Online Shopping Catalogs to the Era of Personalized Fashion Magazines

Louise Guay sees the online shopping trends moving from a catalog era to a fashion magazine era – where the user is at the center. The world of catalogs has evolved and people are more into the fashion, the fun and the design  – individual creativity will be able to be expressed in the 21st century.
 

Shopping with the fashion magazine concept is something that is currently available with a product like StyleFeeder (personal shopping engine). What is different with Dressing Room and Showroom will be the user interactivity and the additional personalization, search and stylized outfitting search components.

Components like the ability to import any 2D picture on the Web – it will be like developing and creating a personalized Fashion Book. Development of a Fashion Book is what a designer creates when they are preparing a new collection for the season. The user will have the ability to bring in any product even if it’s not tryable and to move it around and rearrange it on the fashion board. It will be a great inspirational tool for students to create fashion trend boards.
 

The user can now superimpose their own face on their MVM model. With the StyleFeeder enhancements, the user can bring in any product from the Web in 2D, MVM is adding the capacity to cutout individual items and outfit – which means that the user can combine 2D and 3D items to become the fashion stylist of the personalized Fashion Book. Each product that is posted on the style display page is set to be recommendable by the user because Style Feeder has a recommendation engine.

Products can be rated by the user and when a user clicks on a particular product, it will trigger synchronous ads for similar products linked to an ad network manager, so the ads will be customized to individual.
 
Users can currently apply makeup on their personalized avatar face. MVM is currently working with another collaborator to integrate these makeover solutions – for the personalized face into the BrandMe Dressing Room application. They will be able to apply makeup, change hair color and style and place the personalized modifications to complete the look on to their own outfitting fashion style board. The user will also have the option to upload their own fashion items. The expanded Dressing Room and Showroom applications that are the result of the MVM/StyleFeeder partnership are scheduled to be released March or the beginning of April, 2008.
 
Louise Guay is very proud and believes in what MVM is developing to reflect the user centric personalization trends that retailers and users are espousing.

[end of ths series]

Part III MVM in 2008 – Adding Value and Brand Loyalty for Retailers

What can the Dressing Room and Showroom outfitting visual display solutions do for the user and the retailer? The upcoming Dressing Room and Showroom outfitting concepts will empower users to create their own individualized personal style fashion books and/or catalogs. They can add value (by increasing the average order) for retailers by driving the top line along with an expansive product assortment from 2D and 3D catalogs. The result will be to drive customer satisfaction to build brand loyalty as well as to acquire new users from the social networking world.

 

 The Dressing Room and Showroom solutions will enable customers to help make the best purchase decisions by seeing the complete look prior to purchasing. The solutions will also provide a platform for the retailer and customer to have a private conversation. The user can shop from the expansive 2D and 3D catalogs where they can visually search for the desired items for fashion including a variety of fashion and accessories or home fashion products including kitchen, bedroom, patio or recreation room.
 

For fashion the user can mix and match apparel and accessories and create their own fashion look ala fashion magazines. Every item will not be tryable because the world is not yet totally available in 3D – but 2D and 3D are combined for the user to access ALL the products.  A personalized style or look can be developed and shared with a group of friends, stored in a personal closet or posted to a fashion network. In turn retailers can then present a targeted product recommendation based on user profile and behavior.
 

The same visual search and sharing concepts and features can be integrated into the Showroom solution. The user will be able to personalize a variety of virtual rooms. Everything that lives together, from major appliances to linens, can be visualized all in one place. User can compare multiple items, to help make the best purchase decision.

The user will be able to create multiple rooms and can add items from the favorites listing to complete a look or to help make purchase decisions. The user will also be able to upload items to complete a customized style or look. They will have access to 2D and 3D catalogs that they can use to furnish and/or decorate multiple rooms (that can be compared, saved, printed, shared and published to a social networking site) with their own personalized style.

Next and last post in this series: Part IV MVM in 2008 – From Online Shopping Catalogs to the Era of Personalized Fashion Magazines

Part II MVM in 2008 – Personalized Shopping Experiences That Connects Users and Advertisers

Currently, MVM company products are being developed primarily as tools for merchants. The tools being developed are user centric and MVM is actively partnering with merchants/retailers to better serve a new era of personalization where it’s all about new personalized advertising and shopping experiences. Guay feels that the real value for merchants is for MVM to develop tools that will empower people in their lives not only to shop in the digital/virtual world but to augment and extend reality to facilitate visual goals in the real world as well.
 
According to Gray, BrandME, I am the Brand is the first social shopping platform that connects advertisers and the users. It is targeted for the apparel, footwear & accessories and home décor market segments As stated in a previous posting BrandMe is a social shopping experience that is focused on the desires, needs and wants of the user. The user can personalize, mix-and-match, create looks, and then share them with their friends and social networks.
 
What is different now with the Dressing Room and Showroom is the integration of expansive 2D and 3D catalogs and powerful search tools to empower users to create thei own personalized fashion look book. The StyleFeeder collaboration has contributed to this expansion of services to include the 2D catalogs and intuitive search tools. This translates into increased time spent on advertiser and publisher sites.

Advertisers/Publishers will also have the ability to create and serve real time targeted relevant, actionable, and non-intrusive advertisement to users as well as the ability to gain insights (correlations between selected items) on user behaviors to optimize their target strategy.

Next Post: Part III MVM in 2008 -  Adding Value and Brand Loyalty for Retailers

Part I MVM in 2008 – Actively Seeking New Partnerships & Collaborations

Exciting developments are continuing to evolve at MVM.
 
In mid-November, 2007 I posted a four part series of an interview I conducted with Louise Guay, president and founder of My Virtual Model.
 
In the Part III posting: Part III: MVM BrandME – A Social Shopping Virtual Identity Experience (SSVIE) Guay spoke of goals for MVM  to establish itself as a World Leader in virtual identity as well as for MVM to provide and enhance the real world’s shopping, personal management, and social experience in the digital world.
 
In the part IV posting: Part IV: MVM – Competitive Advantage in the Near Future (BrandME – Personal ID),   Guay spoke about the company adding BrandMe to Facebook as well as plans to enable the user to upload their face for their personalized virtual model. MVM announced the release of the of the Face application to their personalized virtual model  December 4th, 2007, [BrandMe I Am the Brand Introduces The Face]  
 
During the course of the interview in Part IV, Guay expressed MVM plans to integrate intuitive visual product searches into the BrandMe application. Guay stated that MVM is always open to establishing new partnerships that can result in a more expanded personalized shopping experience for the user.
 
Over the semester break, I contacted Ms. Guay to find out what other new applications and/or partnerships were going to be introduced in the near future. She was very excited and happy to share a preview with me illustrating MVM’s new partnership with  StyleFeeder - a bookmarking (personal shopping) fashion tool  that will substantially empower the user by expanding personalized user options and functions for the Dressing Room and Showroom BrandMe applications as well as offering a variety of personalized advertising and marketing enhancements for retailers. The current MVM agenda is virtual identity, personalization, user generated fashion lookbook creation, outfitting solution, social shopping and targeted advertisement.
 
For the user, MVM’s personalized BrandMe visual search functions will be dramatically expanded and the 3D personalized models will incorporate 2D items as well to enable the user to become an editor of their own personal fashion style lookbook. The integrated unique product search engines and personalized visual display and social sharing functions will empower the user to develop personalized outfitting visual display solutions to mix and match a variety of 2D and 3D fashion garments and accessories to create and share a unique personalized styling look. The art of fashion styling will be democratized so that every user can become the editor of their own online fashion magazine.
 
The goal for the MVM virtual model is for it to be totally user centric and at the same time invite additional brands to adopt BrandMe. New brands using the BrandMe application will have the capacity to reach a new demographic using these collaborative applications. The fashion style lookbook that can be developed using Dressing Room and Showroom can easily be placed on major publishers sites like i-village. Most important and empowering is that “any” user will be able to develop and create a variety of personalized visual display concepts that can easily be embedded on many social sites.

Next post: Part II MVM in 2008 -  Personalized Shopping Experiences That Connects Users and Advertisers