The Future of Fashion Doesn’t Involve Owning Any Clothes未来的时装：无衣也时尚

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.

时尚界已今非昔比。时光倒流到五六年前，那时我们刚经历快时尚急剧扩张的巅峰期。英国电商品牌Boohoo刚刚上市，抢购了电商新贵Pretty Little Thing和Nasty Gal，助力其壮大线上业务。老牌时尚巨头们将时装周秀场变成了实景舞台，比如香奈儿在一个巨大的航站楼里展示其最新系列，汤米·希尔费格则打造了一整个室内迷你海滩，还配上了木板路。

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.

而现在，整个模式正受到仔细审视。整个行业都在反思，消费者也开始关注可持续发展问题。

What does this mean for the future of fashion？

这对时尚行业的未来有什么影响？

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.

全球的服装使用率都在下降。艾伦·麦克阿瑟基金会给出的数据表明，与15年前相比，一件衣服的平均穿着次数减少了36%，而在高收入国家，情况更为严重。当今世界，我们更频繁地通过网络而不是面对面地交流，出现越来越多追求时尚的社交媒体用户，推动了新兴的“次抛衣服”文化。照片墙的网红为了拍一张穿搭照片而买衣服再退货的故事比比皆是。

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，消费者的购买模式正朝着延长服装生命周期的方向发展。一方面我们想要改变Zoom上衣配休闲运动裤的单调穿搭，但另一方面许多消费者也缺少值得精心打扮的重要场合。与此同时，人们也趋向精简消费。像 H&M 这样的行业巨头也顺势推出“环保自觉行动系列”和店内衣物回收点，甚至创建了COS Resell二手平台。然而，所有这些虽然都是很好的举措，却鼓励了线性消费模式和某种形式的持续购买。

Is it possible to own more outfits， without creating more？

我们能否在不生产更多衣服的前提下，拥有更多衣服？

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.

服装租赁应用程序By Rotation是着力于解决这一问题的时尚颠覆者之一， 用户可以将自己的奢侈品服装和配饰出租给其他时尚爱好者。

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年创立了By Rotation ，它满足了有环保意识的消费者的很多需求，既迎合了大家想穿“次抛衣服”的心理，又让用户有机会在减少对服装生产的影响和缩减消费的同时赚到钱。

“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：”我们为人们创建了一个社交网络，让他们可以将自己的时尚品位和衣橱货币化，并和他人分享自己的时尚品位和衣橱。许多人租赁衣服都是为了参加社交活动或婚礼，又或是参加晚宴、生日聚会、面试甚至去公园散步等次要场合！”

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.

该应用程序的社交属性为用户额外增添了一层服务体验，常有人能够回应定制化的需求，如当天发货。用户之间的线上互动也可以帮助“轮转租户”快速找到合适的服装，他们经常会关注和多次租用同一个人的衣服——因为这个人的穿搭品味和尺码跟他们基本完全相符。

It’s not just the services that are shifting toward digital

不仅仅是服务数字化

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种理念，但如果这些衣服在现实生活中根本不存在呢？别担心，我说的不是皇帝的新衣，而是数字时尚这一概念。

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.

数字时尚本质上是指一种虚拟服装，使用三维软件制作出仿真服装，可视化和模拟技术使它们的外观和穿着贴合度与真实服装无异。虽然你无法真的穿上它——它目前更倾向于数字艺术的范畴——但它似乎真正有一定的市场。

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.

数字时尚的概念已经存在了一段时间。众所周知，游戏产业具有催动创新的能力，早已在不知不觉中为虚拟时尚需求播下了种子。比如，从任天堂Wii游戏机为虚拟玩家形象Mii 挑选发色和发型的基础功能，到苹果的拟我表情，再到《动物森友会》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 是首家国际数字时尚多品牌零售商，于2020年上线。这个总部位于洛杉矶的品牌由达丽娅·沙波瓦洛娃和纳塔利娅·莫德诺瓦共同创立，突出了如今我们生活中时尚不断变化的宗旨。

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平台上有60位设计师和700多款商品，已经完成了数千份订单。顾客购买一件数字商品，就会收到一张本人穿着该服装的定制图片。通过购买数字服装，消费者终于可以看到自己身着高档服饰的形象，而这些服装是他们现实中无法接触到的，更不用说买得起了。

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.

虚拟服装的设计和生产过程可能需要几天到几个月不等，这取决于最初的设想、设计师的经验和产品的复杂程度。这与设计师高级定制礼服的制作过程并无两样，只是产生的废料、损耗的能量和累积的飞行里程要少得多。

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.

数字时尚本质上是为了装扮我们的数字自我，而现在我们越来越重视自己的数字形象。DressX的大部分客户来自照片墙和其他内容营销平台，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.”

沙波瓦洛娃说：“我们已经看到了更多特定群体的出现。数字服装特别适合有一定粉丝数量的微型网红，从语言教练到财务顾问、主动出行者、科技人士，都意识到了数字资产的价值。这些微型网红每周至少在社交媒体上发布一次内容，每次这样的‘公开亮相’，都需要换新衣，而新衣可以很容易用数字服装取代。”

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.”

为了出席特殊场合买一件华而不实的衣服的日子一去不复返了，那种衣服只有在太阳下山前或大风刮起前才适宜拍照。沙波瓦洛娃还发现数字服装同样适合喜欢自拍的旅行者和派对爱好者。“他们不用再为每一个特殊场合带一大包衣服，现在可以穿着最舒适、最实用的基础款去旅行，在最美的景色前拍照，仍然能用时尚的数字服装提升照片的观感。”

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1英国一家超快时尚（ultra-fast fashion）电商平台，由马哈茂德·卡马尼（Mahmud Kamani）和卡萝尔·凯恩（Carol Kane）于2006年创立，主要面向年轻女性，出售自有品牌的服装、鞋子和配饰等。 2 snap up抢购。 3 boardwalk（沿海滩铺成的）木板路。

4 H&M旗下高端时尚品牌COS推出的二手平台。

5 tick the box在符合条件的方框里打勾，引申为“满足需求”。

6 true-to-life栩栩如生的；逼真的。

7 active traveler以步行和骑行为主的出行者，采用这种出行方式可增加身体活动量，比依赖汽车和公共交通的短途被动出行更有益健康。