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For Daria Shapovalova, co-founder of the Digital Fashion Platform Dressx, fashion is no longer just about fabric and buttons about pixels and animations.
Linen was founded in Los Angeles in Los Angeles by Ukrainian entrepreneurs Shapovalova and Natalia Modanova and is part of a larger transformation on how the world has fashion and the industry brings to the realm of avatars and the metagers.
The platform uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to create virtual clothing so that your users can try them out virtually and buy the items for their virtual wardrobe.
The digital fashion industry is one of the fastest growing sectors that achieve a value of $ 2.4 billion in 2024, with exponential growth through the increasing influence of gaming, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and the meta verse is driven daily.
The Creators of Dressx say that their company differs from the main players such as the Fabricant and RTFKT, which was recently acquired by Nike by mainly concentrating on Avatar fashion shops and fulfilling both for individual users and on companies.
With Avatar Mode, its creator can design and adapt virtual clothing and accessories that can be carried by their digital avatars on social media and gaming platforms such as Snapchat, Meta, Roblox and Zepeto.
Dressx and millennials, which are naturally drawn to virtual rooms, addresses most of the users based in the USA.
“Adidas sees the first time (The Young Generation), it is on Roblox. When you see Louis Vuitton for the first time, it is on Fortnite,” says Shapovalova in an interview with The Kyiv Independent. To help – we are here to build the largest brands in online environments. “
“For the first time (the young generation), Adidas sees Roblox. The first time that they see Louis Vuitton, it is on Fortnite.”
From 2024, Dressx distributed over 60 million digital assets or digital clothing on various platforms.
The collaboration of Dressx with Meta in 2022 in a striking milestone and expanded its reach by bringing innovative 3D designs on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, all belonging to Meta.
Dressx also worked with well-established brands and brought LACOSTES legendary styles on platforms such as Roblox and Zepeto as well as the trendy designs from Diesel to the meta-avatar business.
In a further cooperation, Hugo Boss Dressx Mirror, an interactive display, implemented with which users can try out AR outfits during his events.
The journey of clothing, Shapovalova and Modonova, began in Ukraine. The two were part of the organization of the Mercedes-Benz Kyiv fashion days and Shapovalova organized a fashion TV show.
Her transition to technology was a conscious step that started in 2017 when Shapovalova moved to San Francisco to make a business qualification, driven by the idea that fashion was more than just clothing.
“I understood that the fashion industry is actually more than just a beautiful picture, but also a business,” recalls Shapovalova. “That was exactly the nature of the show (I organized) – to show that this industry is beautiful, but there is a business aspect.”
As women and immigrants in a technical world dominated by men, Shapovalova and Modonova are in the minority. Shapovalova remembers participation in business conferences, where women only make up a small part of the room.
“If you go to a venture event in San Francisco, only about 1% of the audience is female,” she says. “You feel a little different, but it’s not that people don’t notice that they are there.”
Modonova adds: “We are lending against everyone else. At the end of the day it is about the business they have built – they are judged by what they have done, not whether they are a man or a woman. “
Although digital fashion offers a sustainable alternative to traditional clothing, Shapovalova and Modonova emphasize that their mission is not to compete with faster fashion, but to create something completely new.
“We are not here to fight the mass market,” explains Modonova. “We are here to create new categories and opportunities so that people can experience fashion in a way that they couldn’t do before.”
However, the environmental impacts are undeniable. “We have a few patents and a methodology to calculate how many resources are spent on the production of a virtual object compared to a physical tasks,” say the co -founders.
With regard to new opportunities to experience fashion go, Dressx has developed various tools and solutions since its foundation.
Users can try out virtual outfits with augmented reality via the DressX app, while the KE-controlled dressx code mode game enables them to create thematic outfits for virtual environments.
The Dressx Mirror, an AR-operated interactive screen, gives the retail stores a futuristic turn and enables customers to practically try on clothing.
Dressx also offers exclusive NFTs with which users can have unique digital designs for platforms such as Roblox and Zepeto. Your latest company, a AI-controlled fashion game, combines entertainment with style.
Dressx’s creators say that they want to continue their company and run the moderator.
“We will definitely contribute to changes in the industry,” says Shapovalova. “Will we be the only company that changes? No, we are part of a much greater change in the industry. ‘”
Dressx changes fashion in the digital age and combines sustainability with innovations to show that style can thrive without damaging the planet. Determine Spend with Ukraine – Your support drives creativity, sustainability and resilience.
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Note from the publisher: This article is part of a series of profiles in which successful Ukrainian startups and companies are highlighted. The series is financed by the Regional Investment Fund Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund (UMAEF) and founded in cooperation with editions with Ukraine, a non-profit organization T …
