Experts to Discuss Joint Research From '2022 Metaverse
Fashion Trends' Report and Gen Z's Digital Fashion Preferences in a
Virtual Panel November 2,
2022
NEW
YORK, and SAN MATEO,
Calif., Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Parsons School of Design and Roblox
Corporation (NYSE: RBLX) announced a multi-faceted partnership that
includes a course collaboration where students will create
hyper-realistic and inclusive 3D digital apparel; and the unveiling
of the 2022 Metaverse Fashion Trends report. Parsons and
Roblox are working together to help prepare students for their
future careers and offer timely research highlighting the growing
importance of digital fashion.
The New School's Parsons School of
Design is one of the world's leading institutions for art
and design education, while Roblox is at the forefront of immersive
3D shared experiences that connect more than 50 million people
daily. Digital fashion is an integral component of an immersive
experience, and the new research from the 2022 Metaverse Fashion
Trends report released today underscores how important
self-expression through digital identity and avatar style is for
Gen Z who have grown up socializing on platforms like Roblox.
Parsons X Roblox Course
Collaboration
Faculty members at Parsons School of
Design are leading the development of The New School's next wave of fashion design with
creative, education, and marketing experts at Roblox. The course
will be available to Parsons students for the Spring 2023 semester,
and equips students with the training and tools to prepare for the
changing mediums and self-expression of the future.
"Partnering with Roblox offers Parsons students working in
creative technologies an exciting opportunity to engage the complex
intersection of visual culture and social structure, and to play
with how we make meaning when we dress ourselves–in digital and
physical worlds," says Shana Agid,
PhD, Dean of the School of Art & Media Technology at
Parsons School of Design. "We're
excited to see how students' own diverse experiential knowledge,
together with their research, critical thinking, and digital and
visual design skills, shape the futures of these spaces."
In this 16-week collaborative and production-driven course,
students and faculty will begin to explore the intricate
relationship between digital and physical fashion set in an
immersive future. The curriculum is focused on researching and
prototyping digital and physical fashion for immersive
environments, which includes proof of concept prototypes that
students will create on Roblox. Students will first learn to apply
the latest technologies to create hyper-realistic and inclusive 3D
digital apparels that fit any body type. Secondly, students will
have the opportunity to work with experienced fashion
designers from both Parsons and Roblox communities to push the
experimental nature of digital fashion for our future presence.
Ultimately, they will be able to create a retail experience with
their physical and digital clothings and accessories at Parsons and
in the Roblox Avatar Marketplace.
The 2022 Metaverse Fashion
Trend Report
Additionally, today the two partners unveiled their 2022
Metaverse Fashion Trends report, which offers timely research
and analysis of trends in digital fashion and self-expression
among Gen Z consumers who are active on Roblox. Combining a wealth
of behavioral data from the Roblox platform and survey responses of
1,000 Gen Z respondents living in the U.S.*, the report offers an
in-depth look at consumer preferences of those closely familiar
with self-expression through digital identity and fashion.
"Gen Z consumers are spending more time in immersive social
spaces like Roblox, where they have been expressing themselves
through their creations and digital style preferences for over a
decade," says Christina Wootton,
Vice President of global partnerships, Roblox. "With their growing
economic power and influence on fashion, trends from the metaverse
are expected to have a profound impact on physical fashion, while
trends from the physical world will also continue to move into the
metaverse. The data sourced for this report further underscores why
the next generation of fashion designers and brands will become
deeply immersed in digital fashion – designing digital collections
and dressing avatars."
"Collaborating on this research with Roblox has made it even
more clear that self-expression through digital fashion is
important for digital natives and Gen Z," says Ben Barry, PhD, Dean and Associate Professor of
Equity and Inclusion, School of Fashion. "Designers of the future
will need to create in 3D and push the boundaries of creativity
with metaverse-only garments, accessories, and collections that can
be made available with lightning-fast speed to millions of
consumers globally, on platforms like Roblox. As we prepare the
next generation of fashion designers for their careers, we look
forward to the future where this creative profession is made
accessible to all through the latest technology and creators'
innovation."
A virtual panel hosted by Roblox and
Parsons School of Design tomorrow,
November 2, 2022, from
9:30am PT/12:30pm ET, will feature top fashion and
metaverse experts discussing the report's key findings and
predictions for "What's Next in Metaverse Fashion?". RSVP
here to hear expert thoughts on the research and what's yet to
come in digital fashion.
Key insights from the 2022 Metaverse Fashion Trends
report include:
- With Gen Z spending more time socializing, creating and
expressing themselves in immersive social spaces, the demand for
digital fashion, its widespread impact, and, as a result, its
prestige are on the rise.
-
- Half of the survey respondents say they are
changing their avatar's clothing at least every week, and for
2 in 5 self-expression (via clothing and accessories in the
digital world) is already MORE important than expressing themselves
in the physical world.
- Just like in the physical world, community members on
platforms like Roblox tend to connect with and react to
others based on the way they look and dress, which can have a
profound impact on their self-confidence and relationships.
- Nearly 3 in 4 say they will spend money on digital
fashion, and two thirds are excited to wear brand name
virtual items on their Roblox avatars.
- Respondents note the importance of having diverse
customization options for their avatars, and the vast majority
also agree with the importance of digital clothing designs being
inclusive.
- Full report findings also discuss most popular metaverse
fashion styles and best-selling clothing categories, what virtual
closets of Gen Z consumers and digital fashion budgets look like,
and more.
-
- Download the 2022 Metaverse Fashion Trends
report here.
*Methodology: To obtain the most recent consumer insight
data, Roblox, in collaboration with the Parsons School of Design, commissioned a poll from
Momentive (makers of the SurveyMonkey platform) fielded
September 19-21, 2022, among 1,000
U.S. people ages 14 to 24, living in the
United States. The sample has been balanced for gender using
the Census Bureau's American Community Survey to reflect the
demographic composition of the US population in that age
range.
About Parsons
Parsons School of Design is one of
the leading institutions for art and design education in the world.
Based in New York but active
around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate
programs in the full spectrum of art and design disciplines.
Critical thinking and collaboration are at the heart of a Parsons
education. Parsons graduates are leaders in their respective
fields, with a shared commitment to creatively and critically
addressing the WWDities of life in the 21st century. For more
information, please visit www.newschool.edu/parsons.
About Roblox
Roblox is reimagining the way people come together to connect,
create, and express themselves through immersive, interactive
shared experiences. Every day, tens of millions of people around
the world play, learn, communicate, and expand their friendships as
they explore millions of user-generated digital experiences, all
built by creators on the platform. Our mission is to connect
billions of users with civility and optimism and support a safe and
diverse community—one that inspires and fosters creativity and
positive relationships among people around the world. For more
information, please visit corp.roblox.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Will Wilbur
Associate
Director of Communications, The New
School
wilburw@newschool.edu
Irina Efremova
Senior
Director of Communications, Roblox
press@roblox.com
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SOURCE Parsons School of Design; Roblox Corporation