Abstract
When one imagines a virtual world, fantasy may come to mind. The fashion industry seems to be the ideal match for environments built on the creativity of its designers and consumers. Virtual worlds illustrated via simulation of the real world or as a by-product of material culture have inspired alternate identities of its members as avatars; in this way promoting ideals of perfection as nearly achievable particularly in Second Life (SL). This chapter reviews the state of Second Life virtual fashion, mainly appearance as it has allowed for avatar customization to evolve into what has become a full blown industry that now entails cross-over into the real world. Considerations relevant to this discussion include race, ethnicity and gender as well as body image. This chapter draws upon virtual studies research in media, marketing, sociology and other areas in addition to practical examples of those immersed within these spaces.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Beliveau, H. (2011, September 24). Fashion: Ethnic skins are only mature? Second Life Community forum. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Fashion/Ethnic-skins-are-only-mature/td-p/1123455.
Betts, K. (2009, December 10). Will fashion’s biggest names kiss the runway goodbye? Time. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1946717,00.html.
Blascovich, J., & Bailenson, J. (2012). Infinite reality: The hidden blueprint of our virtual lives. New York: William Morrow Paperbacks. Reprint edition.
Boellstorff, T. (2010). Coming of age in second life: An anthropologist explores the virtually human. Trenton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Bosah, E. (1998). Cyberghetto or cybertopia: Race, class, and gender on the Internet. New York: Praeger.
Boudreault, L., & Moser, J. (2012, October). Neutralizing identity: Exploring language and gender in a virtual world. Digital Writing and Research Lab. Series Number: 080218-2. Austin, TX: University of Texas. Reprint 2007: neutralizingidentity.pdf. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.dwrl.utexas.edu/content/neutralizing-identity.
Brooks, D. (2009, October 22). Virtual fashion economy helps imaginary life suck, too. Crave Online. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.craveonline.com/lifestyle/articles/142836-virtual-fashion-economy-helps-imaginary-life-suck-too.
Burns, M. (2009, November 2). The power of real-world gender roles in Second Life. Pixels and Policy. Retrieved July 13, 2013, from http://www.pixelsandpolicy.com/pixels_and_policy/2009/11/female-avatars.html.
Carella, C. (2007, May 14). Top 25 brands measured by traffic. The Electric Sheep Company. Retrieved July 11, 2009, from http://blog.electricsheepcompany.com/?author=4/?feed=rss2&p=232.
Chadwick, G. (2010, January 22). Fashion expands into the virtual market. Financial Times. Retrieved June 22, 2014 from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/baa55cea-06df-11df-b058-00144feabdc0.html.
Chavez, E. (2014, June 13). How naked are you? X.Pose wearable 3D printed sculpture bares all. 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved June 26, 2014, from http://3dprintingindustry.com/fashion.
Coachman, D. (2010, February 1). Keeping it real. African American-owned companies look to change the face (and space) of virtual reality. Black Enterprise. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from http://www.blackenterprise.com/mag/keeping-it-real.
Cortes, P. (2010, June). Sanders Beaumont: International designer of the month. GlanceMagazine, pp. 28–33. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://issuu.com/glanceinternationalagency/docs/glancemagazine_june2010.
Delvalle, J. (2011, September 25). Fashion: Ethnic skins are only mature? Second Life Community forum. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Fashion/Ethnic-skins-are-only-mature/td-p/1123455.
Digital Image. (2007–2012). Fashion forward. Digital Image. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://digitalimagefashion.blogspot.com.
Ensslin, A., & Muse, E. (2011). Creating second lives: Community, identity and spatiality as constructions of the virtual. New York: Routledge.
Everett, A. (2011). Have we become postracial yet? Race and media technology in the age of President Obama. In L. Nakamura & P. Chow-White (Eds.), Race after the internet (p. 165). New York: Routledge.
Fitzroy, S. (2012a, April 7). The secret life of dolls (Alles Klaar & Kynne Llewellyn). Photoshoot. Second Life exhibit at OrCafe. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/soni4bosl21/sets/72157629765496827.
Fitzroy, S. (2012b, May). The secret life of dolls. Best of SL Magazine, pp. 65–88. Frolic Mills: Second Life.
Games for girls who love fashion. (2014). Games for girls, web directory. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.gamesforgirlswholovefashion.com.
Girls Gamsey. (2009). Best dress up games features: Top 10 list. VR Fashion Blog. Retrieved July 23, 2014 from http://vrfashion.blogspot.com/2009/02/best-dress-up-games-features-top-10.html.
Grunewald, S. J. (2014, July 18). Medieval Barbie with 3D printed battle armor may not be sold in stores but she should be! 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved July 26, 2014, from http://3dprintingindustry.com/fashion.
Hartman, K. (2014). Make: Wearable electronics. Sebastopol, CA: Maker Media.
IMVU. (2014). Information. Web. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from http://www.imvu.com/about/faq.php.
Johnson, P. (2010a, November). Media, machinima and the virtual runway: The rise of fashionista in Second Life. SCAN: Journal of Media Arts Culture. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.scan.net.au.
Johnson, P. (2010b). Second life, media and the other society. New York: Peter Lang.
Johnson, P. (2013). The virtual sky is the limit: Women’s journalism experiences in Second Life. In D. Baldwin & J. Achterberg (Eds.), Women and second life: Essays in virtual identity, work and play (pp. 116–134). West Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc.
Johnson, P. (2014, April 6). Constructing identities: Examining how the media builds, shapes, and reinforces our perceptions of minorities. Invited paper. Presented to the Broadcast Education Association, Multicultural & Gender Divisions, Las Vegas, NV.
Juneau, M. (2014). Mimi Juneau. Flickr. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/mimijuneau/.
La Ferla, R. (2009, October 21). No budget, no boundaries: It’s the real you. New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&8dpc.
Leung, L. (2005). Virtual ethnicity: Race, resistance and the world wide web. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
Ludlow, P., & Wallace, M. (2007). The second life Herald: The virtual tabloid that witnessed the dawn of the metaverse. Cambridge, NY: The MIT Press.
Magic, M. (2011, September 25). Fashion: Ethnic skins are only mature? Second Life Community forum. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Fashion/Ethnic-skins-are-only-mature/td- p/1123455.
Molitch-Hou, M. (2014, July 16). Fashion conference sourcing to feature 3D printing. 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved July 26, 2014, from http://3dprintingindustry.com/fashion.
Nakamura, L., & Chow-White, P. (2011). Race after the internet. New York: Routledge.
Naone, E. (2008, April 25). A new vision for Second Life: Linden Lab’s new CEO outlines his plans to help Second Life mature. Technology Review. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=20678&pg=2.
Ohna. (2011, September 24 & 25). Fashion: Ethnic skins are only mature? Second Life Community forum. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Fashion/Ethnic-skins-are-only-mature/td-p/1123455.
Park, R. (2013, October 16). 3D printing sound waves helps fashion designer get where he wants to go on Project Runway. 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved July 26, 2014, from http://3dprintingindustry.com/fashion.
Polvinen, E. (2008, June 18). Virtual fashion – What is it? Fashion Technology. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://fashiontech.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/virtual-fashion-what-is-it.
Rodat-Savla, E. (2014, July 13). 4 ways wearable tech could change your marketing strategy. Virtual Technology. Retrieved by July 13, 2014, from http://fashiontech.wordpress.com.
Rosedale, P. (2014). High fidelity. Press. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from https://highfidelity.io/press.
Scofield, L. (2010, June). Bollywood story. Glance Magazine, pp. 83–91. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://issuu.com/glanceinternationalagency/docs/glancemagazine_june2010.
Rosenwald, M. S. (2010, March 8). Second Life’s virtual money can become real-life cash. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/03/07/AR2010030703524.html
Tapley, R. (2007). Designing your second life. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
Terdiman, D. (2007). The entrepreneur’s guide to second life: Making money in the metaverse. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley.
The Sims 4. (2014). The Sim nation. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.simnationblog.co.uk/p/the-sims-4.html.
Turkle, S. (2012). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology. New York: Basic Books.
Virtual Abilities. (2014). Website. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from http://www.virtualability.org.
Virtual Worlds for Tweens. (2014). Online games kingdom. Web. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from http://virtualworldfortweens.com.
Volino, P. (2000). Virtual clothing. Berlin: Springer.
Voyager, D. (2013, April). Second Life statistics 2013, spring update. Daniel Voyager. Blog. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/second-life-statistics-2013-spring-update.
Voyager, D. (2014a, June 8). Fashion for life in Second Life opens. Daniel Voyager. Blog. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/2014- fashion-for-life-in-second-life-opens.
Voyager, D. (2014b, April 1). Second Life statistics 2014, spring update. Daniel Voyager. Blog. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from http://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/second-life-statistics-2014-spring-update.
Vuissent, A. (2011, September 24). Fashion: Ethnic skins are only mature? Second Life Community forum. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Fashion/Ethnic-skins-are-only-mature/td-p/1123455.
Widdershins, S., & Merlin, E. (2014, October 6). Designing worlds: Ebbe Altberg video and transcript. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://modemworld.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/designing-worlds-ebbe-altberg-video-and-transcript/.
Winkler, S. E. (2009). Designing dreams: Best practices for the art & business of avatar apparel design & development. New York: Fashion Research Institute, Inc.
Winkler, S. (2012). Fashion research institute. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://shenlei.com/category/fashion-research-institute.
Yardley, J. (2014). Jo Yardley’s Second Life: The adventures of a virtual time traveler. Blog. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from http://joyardley.wordpress.com.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Johnson, P. (2016). Virtual Fashion as an Industry: Making the World Look Better One Avatar at a Time. In: Sivan, Y. (eds) Handbook on 3D3C Platforms. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22041-3_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22041-3_18
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-22040-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22041-3
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)