The World’s first fully digital, virtual fashion house republiqe has launched their latest collection in line with London Fashion Week 2021.

The new collection harks back to the early 2000s with four different styles being revived; Bubblz, Furr, Rippd and Teez. From a trends perspective, the creative team at republiqe have identified the millenium revival as the next big thing in fashion for Gen Z, who the brand is aimed at. There are also many parallels being drawn between the very early adoption stage where digital fashion is today and the emergence of technology and social media in the early 00’s.

Fashion is an ever-changing industry, despite its new looks, there is always something that is borrowed from an older time period and brought back for today’s generation to make their own. For example, there is a Japanese fashion subculture that adores lolita clothing which is based on Victorian and Edwardian styles, it is not linked to the famous novel/film but it has the same name, no one is really sure of the link but it works for niche fashion lovers.

This brand, for instance, defines two distinct requirements when it comes to fashion; a physical need to wear clothing for warmth and comfort and an emotional need to look good and feel good. As republiqe does not have any physical attire, their offering caters to the latter, allowing their customers to indulge in extravagant, fast fashion apparel where it matters most online, without harming the planet.

For a while now, brands have been taking note and standing up to climate change, searching for viable alternatives to polyesters and resource-draining materials and utilising technology to create better processes. When it comes to digital fashion, Republiqe is not the first brand to invest in this, with fashion houses such as Balenciaga and Gucci experimenting with the technology too. Republiqe have, however, laid down their claim as the world’s first all digital fashion brand with no plans whatsoever to create physical versions of their garments.

Whilst sustainability is a big driver for Gen Z, who the brand is aimed at, James Gaubert, founder and creative director of republiqe, states that it is not the main reason to purchase. The need to look and feel good online is of great consideration for this younger generation, and if it can be done in a way that’s sustainable, without compromising the world’s finite resources, then fashion brands should embrace this.

As the lines between the physical world we inhabit and the meta or digital world we visit become ever more blurred, could this well and truly become the future of fashion, and just how close are we to living in a multiverse-esque world?

James Gaubert, Founder and Creative Director of Republiqe, stated:

“Our latest collection, which we launched in line with London Fashion Week, is essentially built around an early 2000s revival. We see that as being the next big trend from a Gen Z perspective. There are also major parallels between where virtual fashion is today, and where technology and social media were back in the early 2000s.

Times have changed massively from the early 90s to today and technology can enable us to do things that have never been done before and create change. So that’s what we’re building the foundations of our business on – using technology to create a new subculture or subdivision within the fashion industry that has never existed before.”