Saturday, 5 May 2012

Virtual Fashion: Online Training for Online Couture

A growing number of fashion designers are creating entire clothing lines without ever sewing a stitch, dressing a model, or staging a runway show. This is the dawn of virtual fashion, as image-conscious computer users clothe their digital alter egos, or avatars, to reflect their own style.
You may not be able to afford that $5,000 Armani in real life, but you can afford the $20 digital version for your online avatar. A growing number of enterprising fashion designers are recognizing a market for digital fashion design--styles for the animated figures which represent real people in computer simulation games.

Your Second Life in Virtual Fashion

The Paris of the online fashion world is Second Life, a computer simulation game in which players experience an alternate everyday life online. They build businesses, bartend, chat, build homes, shop, travel, and hold down jobs.
And they make real money doing it. Second Life's currency, Linden dollars, is based on the U.S. dollar. In August, the 20 bestselling Second Life fashion designers generated a combined $140,466 in sales, reports The New York Times. Adidas and American Apparel have even jumped on board, catering to players who want to dress their avatars in the latest fashions.

An Education Online to Create Fashion Online

A fashion education online can help you develop the technical skills to make the most of this new trend. Online fashion school provides training in graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop, rather than traditional needle-and-thread craftsmanship.
Virtual design favors designers with computer skills. The best-selling fashions online come from young designers with the technical training to create a compelling 3D fantasy. For example, the skilled virtual designer can draw the shadows cast by pleats or a belt, or even animate the drape of a fabric.
These days, your virtual image is as important as your in-person style. With an education online, you can make sure your customers go out on the Internet in style.
Source
The New York Times, "Now, Virtual Fashion"
Sonja Albrecht works as a writer and editor for an online media company. She has also taught college writing and completed a Ph.D. in English.

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