In the apparel industry, there’s a growing need for new product and marketing strategies that take traditional customer touchpoints, such as brick-and-mortar stores, as well as new digital touchpoints, such as AR, VR and the metaverse, into consideration. Sustainability is also important to the industry as physical fashion can cause excess fabric disposal and CO2 emissions owing to production and transportation. Two companies based in Japan are now utilizing state-of-the-art digital technologies to address these issues.
On January 27, 2023, KINGBEAT Co., Ltd., a company that develops and supports fashion and music events, and Realize Mobile Communications Corp., a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) group company and operator of a dedicated studio capable of shooting volumetric video (3D holograms), announced they joined forces to introduce cutting-edge fashion technology to the metaverse era with the launch of a service called FASHION TECH TOKYO.
FASHION TECH TOKYO allows apparel companies to create high-resolution, 3D digital fashion items that can be viewed from any angle and showcase them on real-world models and influencers. The service also enables companies to hold 3D virtual fashion shows.
With the launch of FASHION TECH TOKYO, KINGBEAT and Realize Mobile are combining their expertise in digital fashion creation and volumetric capture technology, respectively, to create 3D digital fashion for use in VR, AR, and the metaverse. Unlike conventional simple 3D avatars and CG static images, FASHION TECH TOKYO provides a high level of visual detail by simulating the wrinkles, motions and textures of clothing. This makes it possible to recreate unique and lifelike retail products in the digital space like VR and the metaverse, using the same models and influencers, while staying true to a brand’s perspective. Additionally, these digital items can be transformed into NFTs that could be sold or given away to customers who make an in-store purchase.
KINGBEAT and Realize Mobile will aim to advance the fashion tech business with FASHION TECH TOKYO by collaborating with established brands, producing original pieces, and hosting digital fashion competitions that feature young designers and students.
For more information, see this press release from Realize Mobile.
Realize Mobile’s parent company is SB Media Holdings Corp., a company wholly-owned by SoftBank Corp.
(Posted on January 31, 2023)
by SoftBank News Editors
