The Grown-up’s Guide To Fashion Gaming

How much do you think the worlds of fashion and gaming have in common? The latter normally brings to mind headset- wearing teenage boys earning their fortune playing Fortnite rather than luxury dresses and handbags. But it’s that all-important element of escapism that the two industries have in common, which is perhaps what has fuelled a new wave of fashion-focused apps, ranging from styling-meets-shopping games like Drest and Ada to pro-styling services like Wishi.

The timing might just be fortuitous because the appeal of fashion gaming has taken on a new tone. As we hunker down at home and our phones become the main thing connecting us to the outside world, we’re all on the hunt for ways to distract and entertain ourselves from the doom- laden news cycle and boredom of self- isolation – not to mention ways to scratch the itch of our fashion obsession while we’ve temporarily swapped trend-led fashion pieces forloungewear.

While opportunities for sartorial self-expression are pretty limited in our current day-to-day life, doing it virtually may be the next best thing. ‘There’s a huge amount of synergy between fashion and gaming, they operate in the same way,’ says Lucy Yeomans, founder of new app Drest.

‘Fashion is all about allowing each of us to say something about ourselves, to create a persona and that’s what gaming is. You come in and use the arsenal of tricks that you have to create your persona, to be strong and powerful. In the fashion world you put on a Chanel jacket, your Manolos, whatever it might be, but it makes you feel confident. So there’s an element of fantasy, of empowerment and escapism in both.’

Video gaming is one of the few industries that seems to be impervious to the ills of coronavirus. In China, gaming companies, such as the technology group Tescent, posted growth after millions of people, stuck at home, spent hours and hours on their screens. ‘Coronavirus will benefit the games business – same with long-form video,’ Benjamin Wu, senior analyst of Pacific Epoch, told the Financial Times.

Even before the advent of social distancing, mobile gaming was predicted to grow to a whopping $106.2 billion in 2020, which makes it bigger than the music, TV and movie industries combined. And more women are playing too, making up around 63% of the people compulsively using Candy Crush or Scrabble.

The fashion industry may have flirted with the world of AI and virtual reality supermodels, but it’s been pretty slow to hustle its way into your digital downtime. Aside from a deep dive on Instagram or hours spent updating your fantasy wishlist on Net-A-Porter, when it comes to apps and games it’s been pretty much a fashion-free zone. Primarily that’s because the first people to clock that fashion was fertile ground were tech entrepreneurs holed up in China or San Francisco, with little to no idea of or interest in the latest fashion trends. Anything they conjured didn’t have enough appeal or authenticity to make it fly. Which is why it’s so fascinating – and potentially game-changing – that the new crop of apps are being led by fashion industry experts. These are women who have an innate, cellular knowledge not just of how the world of fashion works but, what women love about it.

Yeomans, for example, is the former editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Porter and about as well-connected as you can get.

Her new app, Drest, gives its users all the gorgeous models (cleverly scanned avatars of Natalia Vodianova, Imaan Hammam, Irina Shayk and Doutzen Kroes will soon be uploaded for you to style), designer clothes and fabulous locations that a fashion editor would have to play with, then lets you play dress-up to your heart’s content. It’s a bit like a modern take on Victorian paper dolls with their mix-and-match clothes and accessories. And with so many years in the industry, Yeomans has had no trouble persuading brands to sign up; right now there are 152 involved, everyone from Gucci and Fendi to Tabitha Simmons and Anya Hindmarch.

Download it and choose from shoots inspired by Clueless, Vivienne Westwood and the International Day of Happiness. The model selection is just as varied, with a wide range of shapes, ages and skin tones to choose from.

Another app, Ada, which is set to launch in the UK later this year, takes a similar approach. Created by Korean gaming guru Andy Wu, along with Elizabeth von Guttman and Alexia Niedzielski – the co-founders of System magazine – you can style an avatar of yourself in designer wear as well as make over the interiors of the virtual room you’re standing in, before sharing the pictures across your social media accounts and – of course – buying real-life versions of the pieces you love.

And then there are the apps that are set to make your life easier.

Karla Welch, the stylist responsible for Tracee Ellis Ross’s ever-brilliant stream of looks and who Busy Phillips, Olivia Wilde and Ruth Negga also have on speed-dial, has launched Wishi, an app that connects you with one of a select group of hand-picked stylists.

First you answer a set of questions that helps narrow down which stylist would be the best fit for you – your body type, taste and lifestyle – and then, for a starting fee of $40, your stylist will hone in on what you’re looking for and create tailored mood boards and outfits that you can then shop. You can even upload pictures of existing pieces in your wardrobe (not a bad way to while away the hours) and get fresh ideas on how to wear them when normal life resumes.

‘We live in a digital age and have built communities through all the platforms we all use,’ says Welch of her initiative. ‘We’re still in the early stages of tech but I think more and more brands, whether it’s magazines, clothing or beauty, will realise that a conversation and engagement is equally as important as a transaction.

It’s certainly true that brands are beginning to get in on the act. Burberry, for example, launched an innovative shopping tool in February with Google Search that allows you to see your chosen bag in 3D against the backdrop of your home. And as quarantine continues, making it trickier to engage with new drops in real life, no doubt others will explore the possibilities of VR and AR.

Will they succeed? There are no guarantees, even when you’ve built up a huge audience. Case in point: Kim Kardashian’s app, Hollywood. It gave users the chance to dress Kim and her cohorts and racked up a reported $200 million in the process. However, it has since announced that it will no longer update as interest and engagement has waned. We’re a fickle bunch. But equally, suddenly we have a lot of time on our hands in a period when escaping reality holds a lot of appeal.

Those of us who have daydreamed of having rails of runway clothes at our fingertips, styling a supermodel or being dressed for a big night out by a high-profile stylist are going to enjoy living out our fantasies. Virtually.