Fashion is not what it used to be. Rewind only five or six years ago, when we had just passed the peak of the fast fashion explosion. Boohoo1 had recently gone public, snapping up2 eCommerce upstarts Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal, adding gasoline to their online growth. Established fashion giants were turning their Fashion Week venues into stage shows, with Chanel displaying its latest collection in a giant airline terminal and Tommy Hilfiger building an entire indoor mini-beach, complete with boardwalk3.
時(shí)尚界已今非昔比。時(shí)光倒流到五六年前,那時(shí)我們剛經(jīng)歷快時(shí)尚急劇擴(kuò)張的巔峰期。英國電商品牌Boohoo剛剛上市,搶購了電商新貴Pretty Little Thing和Nasty Gal,助力其壯大線上業(yè)務(wù)。老牌時(shí)尚巨頭們將時(shí)裝周秀場(chǎng)變成了實(shí)景舞臺(tái),比如香奈兒在一個(gè)巨大的航站樓里展示其最新系列,湯米·希爾費(fèi)格則打造了一整個(gè)室內(nèi)迷你海灘,還配上了木板路。
Now, this whole model is under intense scrutiny. The whole industry is under a review of conscience, with consumers opening their eyes to the sustainability problem.
而現(xiàn)在,整個(gè)模式正受到仔細(xì)審視。整個(gè)行業(yè)都在反思,消費(fèi)者也開始關(guān)注可持續(xù)發(fā)展問題。
What does this mean for the future of fashion?
這對(duì)時(shí)尚行業(yè)的未來有什么影響?
Clothing utilization is on the decrease across the globe. According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, the average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago and even more so in high-income countries. In a world where we see each other more online than face-to-face, an emerging ‘wear it once’ culture is being bolstered by the rise of style-conscious social media users. Stories were rife of Instagram influencers buying items once for an outfit photo, before returning them again.
全球的服裝使用率都在下降。艾倫·麥克阿瑟基金會(huì)給出的數(shù)據(jù)表明,與15年前相比,一件衣服的平均穿著次數(shù)減少了36%,而在高收入國家,情況更為嚴(yán)重。當(dāng)今世界,我們更頻繁地通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)而不是面對(duì)面地交流,出現(xiàn)越來越多追求時(shí)尚的社交媒體用戶,推動(dòng)了新興的“次拋衣服”文化。照片墻的網(wǎng)紅為了拍一張穿搭照片而買衣服再退貨的故事比比皆是。
Buying patterns were moving towards extending the life cycle of clothing. Whilst trying to break from the monotony of a Zoom-friendly top with sweatpants below, many consumers are also lacking an ‘occasion’ to dress up. At the same time, people also want to buy less. Industry giants like H&M have responded with conscious collections, in-store recycling points and even the launch of COS Resell4 marketplace. However, although these are great initiatives, all of these still encourage a linear model of consumption and a continued purchase in some form.
如今,消費(fèi)者的購買模式正朝著延長(zhǎng)服裝生命周期的方向發(fā)展。一方面我們想要改變Zoom上衣配休閑運(yùn)動(dòng)褲的單調(diào)穿搭,但另一方面許多消費(fèi)者也缺少值得精心打扮的重要場(chǎng)合。與此同時(shí),人們也趨向精簡(jiǎn)消費(fèi)。像 H&M 這樣的行業(yè)巨頭也順勢(shì)推出“環(huán)保自覺行動(dòng)系列”和店內(nèi)衣物回收點(diǎn),甚至創(chuàng)建了COS Resell二手平臺(tái)。然而,所有這些雖然都是很好的舉措,卻鼓勵(lì)了線性消費(fèi)模式和某種形式的持續(xù)購買。
Is it possible to own more outfits, without creating more?
我們能否在不生產(chǎn)更多衣服的前提下,擁有更多衣服?
One of the fashion disruptors aiming to solve that question is By Rotation, a social fashion rental app where users can rent their own luxury clothes and accessories to other fashion lovers.
服裝租賃應(yīng)用程序By Rotation是著力于解決這一問題的時(shí)尚顛覆者之一, 用戶可以將自己的奢侈品服裝和配飾出租給其他時(shí)尚愛好者。
Founded in 2019 by Eshita Kabra, By Rotation ticks a wealth of boxes5 for conscious consumers, satisfying the ‘wear it once’ phenomenon, whilst also giving users a chance to reduce their impact on fashion production, spend less and earn their own money whilst doing it.
埃希塔·卡布拉在2019年創(chuàng)立了By Rotation ,它滿足了有環(huán)保意識(shí)的消費(fèi)者的很多需求,既迎合了大家想穿“次拋衣服”的心理,又讓用戶有機(jī)會(huì)在減少對(duì)服裝生產(chǎn)的影響和縮減消費(fèi)的同時(shí)賺到錢。
“We’ve created a social network for people to monetize and share their style and wardrobes with each other,” says Kabra. “Many rentals have been occurring for social engagements and weddings, as well as smaller occasions such as dinners, birthdays, interviews or even a walk in the park!”
卡布拉表示:”我們?yōu)槿藗儎?chuàng)建了一個(gè)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò),讓他們可以將自己的時(shí)尚品位和衣櫥貨幣化,并和他人分享自己的時(shí)尚品位和衣櫥。許多人租賃衣服都是為了參加社交活動(dòng)或婚禮,又或是參加晚宴、生日聚會(huì)、面試甚至去公園散步等次要場(chǎng)合!”
The social nature of the app adds an extra level of service to the user experience, with individuals often able to respond to tailored requests, such as sending items on the same day. The online dynamic between users also improves discovery for “rotators,” who often follow and rent from the same person multiple times—essentially a perfect style and size match.
該應(yīng)用程序的社交屬性為用戶額外增添了一層服務(wù)體驗(yàn),常有人能夠回應(yīng)定制化的需求,如當(dāng)天發(fā)貨。用戶之間的線上互動(dòng)也可以幫助“輪轉(zhuǎn)租戶”快速找到合適的服裝,他們經(jīng)常會(huì)關(guān)注和多次租用同一個(gè)人的衣服——因?yàn)檫@個(gè)人的穿搭品味和尺碼跟他們基本完全相符。
It’s not just the services that are shifting toward digital
不僅僅是服務(wù)數(shù)字化
Renting and sharing clothes is one idea, but what if the clothes don’t exist in real-life at all? Don’t worry, I’m not talking about an Emperor’s New Clothes situation but the concept of digital fashion.
租借和共享衣服是一種理念,但如果這些衣服在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中根本不存在呢?別擔(dān)心,我說的不是皇帝的新衣,而是數(shù)字時(shí)尚這一概念。
Digital fashion is essentially virtual clothing using 3D software to build a true-to-life6 garment that can be visualized and simulated to look and move like real clothing. Whilst you can’t physically wear it—it currently leans more towards the category of digital art—there appears to be a genuine market for it.
數(shù)字時(shí)尚本質(zhì)上是指一種虛擬服裝,使用三維軟件制作出仿真服裝,可視化和模擬技術(shù)使它們的外觀和穿著貼合度與真實(shí)服裝無異。雖然你無法真的穿上它——它目前更傾向于數(shù)字藝術(shù)的范疇——但它似乎真正有一定的市場(chǎng)。
The idea of digital fashion has been around for some time. Notorious for spawning innovation, the gaming industry has been unknowingly seeding virtual fashion demand for a while. From the basics of picking your hair color & style of the Nintendo Wii Mii’s right through to Apple Memoji’s and customizing villagers in Animal Crossing.
數(shù)字時(shí)尚的概念已經(jīng)存在了一段時(shí)間。眾所周知,游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)具有催動(dòng)創(chuàng)新的能力,早已在不知不覺中為虛擬時(shí)尚需求播下了種子。比如,從任天堂Wii游戲機(jī)為虛擬玩家形象Mii 挑選發(fā)色和發(fā)型的基礎(chǔ)功能,到蘋果的擬我表情,再到《動(dòng)物森友會(huì)》中的定制村民形象。
DressX, the first international digital fashion multi-brand retailer, went live in 2020. Founded by Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova, the LA-based brand highlights today’s changing purpose of fashion in our lives.
DressX 是首家國際數(shù)字時(shí)尚多品牌零售商,于2020年上線。這個(gè)總部位于洛杉磯的品牌由達(dá)麗婭·沙波瓦洛娃和納塔利婭·莫德諾瓦共同創(chuàng)立,突出了如今我們生活中時(shí)尚不斷變化的宗旨。
With 60 designers on board and more than 700 items available on the platform, DressX has served thousands of orders. Customers purchase a digital item and receive a custom image of them wearing it. By purchasing digital fashion, consumers can finally be seen in high-end looks that they otherwise may not have access to, let alone afford.
目前,DressX平臺(tái)上有60位設(shè)計(jì)師和700多款商品,已經(jīng)完成了數(shù)千份訂單。顧客購買一件數(shù)字商品,就會(huì)收到一張本人穿著該服裝的定制圖片。通過購買數(shù)字服裝,消費(fèi)者終于可以看到自己身著高檔服飾的形象,而這些服裝是他們現(xiàn)實(shí)中無法接觸到的,更不用說買得起了。
The design and production processes can take anything from a couple of days to several months depending on the initial idea, designer experience, and the complexity of the items. Not dissimilar to the construction of a designer couture gown, except with far less waste, energy and air miles.
虛擬服裝的設(shè)計(jì)和生產(chǎn)過程可能需要幾天到幾個(gè)月不等,這取決于最初的設(shè)想、設(shè)計(jì)師的經(jīng)驗(yàn)和產(chǎn)品的復(fù)雜程度。這與設(shè)計(jì)師高級(jí)定制禮服的制作過程并無兩樣,只是產(chǎn)生的廢料、損耗的能量和累積的飛行里程要少得多。
Digital fashion is essentially designed to dress our digital selves, which are now more prominent than ever. The majority of DressX customers come from Instagram and other content platforms, like TikTok and Twitter.
數(shù)字時(shí)尚本質(zhì)上是為了裝扮我們的數(shù)字自我,而現(xiàn)在我們?cè)絹碓街匾曌约旱臄?shù)字形象。DressX的大部分客戶來自照片墻和其他內(nèi)容營銷平臺(tái),如抖音海外版TikTok 和推特。
“We already see more specific cohorts emerging,” says Shapovalova. “Digital clothing is especially useful for micro influencers of all kinds—from language coaches tod2b799e2bb9fa9d107fff27b9eccc5664c364d79dc441b4c9eec00188176e2fc financial advisors, active travelers7, tech people—they all see the value in digital assets. Micro influencers share content in their social media at least once a week and for each ‘public appearance’ like this they would need new clothes that could be easily replaced with digital clothes.”
沙波瓦洛娃說:“我們已經(jīng)看到了更多特定群體的出現(xiàn)。數(shù)字服裝特別適合有一定粉絲數(shù)量的微型網(wǎng)紅,從語言教練到財(cái)務(wù)顧問、主動(dòng)出行者、科技人士,都意識(shí)到了數(shù)字資產(chǎn)的價(jià)值。這些微型網(wǎng)紅每周至少在社交媒體上發(fā)布一次內(nèi)容,每次這樣的‘公開亮相’,都需要換新衣,而新衣可以很容易用數(shù)字服裝取代?!?/p>
Gone are the days of wearing a beautiful, expensive and impractical item for an occasion. An outfit that is picture-perfect until the sun goes down, or the wind picks up. Shapovalova also identifies an opportunity for selfie-loving travelers and party-goers. “Instead of packing outfits for every special occasion, they can now travel with the most comfortable and practical basics, make pictures in the most incredible place and still elevate their photos with fashionable digital clothes.”
為了出席特殊場(chǎng)合買一件華而不實(shí)的衣服的日子一去不復(fù)返了,那種衣服只有在太陽下山前或大風(fēng)刮起前才適宜拍照。沙波瓦洛娃還發(fā)現(xiàn)數(shù)字服裝同樣適合喜歡自拍的旅行者和派對(duì)愛好者?!八麄儾挥迷贋槊恳粋€(gè)特殊場(chǎng)合帶一大包衣服,現(xiàn)在可以穿著最舒適、最實(shí)用的基礎(chǔ)款去旅行,在最美的景色前拍照,仍然能用時(shí)尚的數(shù)字服裝提升照片的觀感?!?/p>
(譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)撸?/p>
1英國一家超快時(shí)尚(ultra-fast fashion)電商平臺(tái),由馬哈茂德·卡馬尼(Mahmud Kamani)和卡蘿爾·凱恩(Carol Kane)于2006年創(chuàng)立,主要面向年輕女性,出售自有品牌的服裝、鞋子和配飾等。 2 snap up搶購。 3 boardwalk(沿海灘鋪成的)木板路。
4 H&M旗下高端時(shí)尚品牌COS推出的二手平臺(tái)。
5 tick the box在符合條件的方框里打勾,引申為“滿足需求”。
6 true-to-life栩栩如生的;逼真的。
7 active traveler以步行和騎行為主的出行者,采用這種出行方式可增加身體活動(dòng)量,比依賴汽車和公共交通的短途被動(dòng)出行更有益健康。