As an emerging player in the global fashion industry, the metaverse presents exciting opportunities for Africa provided that our foray into cyberspace is guided by the decolonial practices guiding the zeitgeist.
The ‘developing’ label on our markets does present an opportunity to mark a path forward, learning from and correcting the mistakes of the Western ‘developed’ world and the metaverse may be the starting point for this evolution – provided that our foray into cyberspace is guided by the decolonial practices guiding the zeitgeist.
NFTs and digital fashion are still relatively new concepts. While the longevity of the NFT industry is still in the balance, regional fashion sectors could find support and progress in the field’s decentralisation, intellectual property protection and democratisation. While the fine art world has quickly adapted to the metaverse, there are only a handful of fashion participants in Africa’s digital economy.
African designers leading the way
In 2020, Congolese designer Anifa Mvuemba went viral for her virtual fashion show, which made use of 3D computer-generated models – noteworthy in a time when lockdown restrictions had devastated fashion show presentations worldwide. While the idea to present clothing on animated or 3D bodies was not new, Mvuemba made waves through her use of plus-size figures, a stark contrast to real-world presentations where body diversity is still a rare sight. This is a prime example of how African designers are poised to take advantage of new technology to course-correct the fashion industry.
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That same year, Ghanaian tech start-up Balm Labs was founded to aid designers and brands to bring their ideas into the digital world through the creation of 3D campaigns, photoshoots, and virtual fashion shows as well as offering 3D sampling services. The sampling service creates true-to-life digital prototypes of designs, removing the development costs of creating and testing out designs before they are ready for market. Such a service greatly reduces the environmental impact and waste that can result in testing colour and dye, sizing, printing, weaving, knitting, and transportation involved. The start-up has worked with several regional brands to date such as Senegalese labels Diarrablu and Tongoro Studio, as well as Ghanain collective Free The Youth on 3D presentations and sampling.
An image from Tongoro Studio’s digital magazine ‘MADE’, released in 2020, featuring digital models and 3D garment movement technology produced by Balm Labs.
More recently, South African non-profit Electric South, Twyg, and Crossover Labs invited local content creators to Design Futures Lab, a sustainable fashion workshop and digital lab that facilitates access to immersive extended reality skills and technologies. Creators have been tasked with exploring experiential narratives around sustainable fashion and design. Where access to resources and technology supplied by the programme are in abundance in the Western world, the digital divide prevents creators in Africa and the Global South from being able to enter the market.
In 2021, Free The Youth partnered with Balm Labs to promote their capsule collection by creating a 3D gamified environment, featuring video game inspired character selection motion.
Bringing inclusivity to the metaverse
The metaverse is entirely dependent on the kind of access to internet, electricity, and education denied to many across the continent. The fashion world is looking to the digital world as a solution to our increasing state of ecological disaster but, unless checked, it is also leaving behind the people who’ve contributed the least to that state.
It is no secret that the fashion industry is upheld by the undervalued labour of the mostly women working class of the Global South, this is to whom many of the ethical injustices occur. Despite being the backbone of the textile industry, garment workers are often overworked and forced to bear dangerous working conditions and exposure to harmful chemicals all for very low pay and with limited rights. As the fashion industry looks to cyberspace for solutions, it should ensure that those who have physically laboured are not entirely neglected and forced to endure the repercussions of late-stage capitalism and ecological disaster.
An opportunity for cultural sustainability
It is not just that greater efforts should be made to include Africa in the metaverse but that the Western world uses this opportunity to take Africa’s lead in the fight for climate justice. The fashion world’s zeitgeist is currently filled with ideas around upcycling, repurposing, and zero-waste production–many of which are intrinsic to the way of life for indigenous and marginalised communities across the world.
Natural dyeing, traditional weaving, and community development are a part of the lexicon of many African fashion brands; such as South Africa’s Sindiso Khumalo, Nigeria’s Cynthia Abila and Mauritania’s Niuku and these brands have been able to develop circular business models by turning to practices and ideology native to their homelands.
3D product images of Diarrablu’s dresses, created by Balm Labs as a greener alternative to photoshoots.
Perhaps, the metaverse’s greatest opportunity for the continent is to upend the erasure of our cultural contributions. Digital fashion and NFTs present the opportunity for African creators to surpass the existing barriers and challenges presented by traditional fashion gatekeeping to reach wider audiences and return that investment to their communities. This could allow a greater spotlight on traditional and historical practices and perspectives, many of which already hold the keys to sustainability that the metaverse purports.
The metaverse is not an end-point for African fashion but the potential catalyst for greater change.
- Cover image: Three looks from Hanifa’s 2020 Congo-Inspired Pink Label Capsule Collection that was showcased in a 3D fashion show. Image’s sourced from Hanifa’s Instagram.
- This is Part Three of a three-part series, by Khensani Mohlatlole, unpacking fashion, the metaverse, and how emerging digital technologies can play a part in creating a more ethical and sustainable future. Read Part One and Part Two.
- Cape Town non-profit organisation, Electric South collaborates with artists across Africa to create immersive, interactive stories including working with digital media and virtual and augmented reality technology to ensure inclusion in the metaverse
- Read about the Design Futures Lab 2022, a collaboration between Twyg, British Council #SouthernAfricaArts, Electric South and Crossover Labs