Digital fashion is no longer a futuristic concept, it has already arrived and is actively reshaping today's industry. In 2023, more than 1.6 billion digital fashion items were exchanged on the popular Roblox gaming platform. According to Roblox's latest (Digital Expression, Fashion and Beauty Trends Report), more than half (56%) of Gen Z users believe that styling their virtual images is more important than styling themselves in the real world.
This cultural innovation is thriving because fashion designers are translating their skills into the digital sphere, with SYKY, a platform launched in 2023 that aims to connect the next generation of digital designers and the established fashion world, acting as a bridge. Designers such as Olympic swimmer and model Calvyn Justus and British artist Stephy Fung have already showcased their work on SYKY as part of curated collections and collaborations.
Determined to ensure emerging talent isn’t left behind in fashion’s digital transformation, which she sees as a $4.8 billion opportunity, SYKY founder and CEO Alice Delahunt founded SYKY to foster innovation and help protect intellectual property in a world where counterfeit digital fashion is an inevitable threat (a knockoff Hermès “Baby Birkin” NFT sold for $23,500 in 2021).
As digital fashion looks are often produced faster than physical ones, Delahunt believes it is now even more important to protect quality and intellectual property (IP) using on-chain models such as SYKY.
“It’s critical for fashion brands and emerging designers to own digital intellectual property, but at the same time put it on-chain so it can be traced and authenticated,” Delahunt recently told OpenSea. “We need to ensure that digital fashion products are traceable and we can say, yes, this is an authenticated Calvin, this is an authenticated Balenciaga, this is an authenticated Gucci, and so on.”
Nicola Formichetti, the renowned creative visionary behind some of pop culture’s most iconic fashion moments such as Lady Gaga’s meat dress, joins SYKY as the company’s first Artistic Director in January 2024. Bringing his signature, boundary-pushing creativity to the digital realm, Formichetti’s role at SYKY will be to curate the platform’s digital fashion launches with emerging designers and mentor them, helping them translate their art into appropriate form.
Envisioning a future where digital and physical fashion coexist, pushing boundaries while still democratizing access to traditionally exclusive worlds, Delahunt discusses how SYKY is laying the foundation for fashion’s next big shift in this Q&A.
Note: This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.
OpenSea: As the head of digital strategy for two iconic fashion houses, Burberry and Ralph Lauren, what motivated you to move into the emerging tech space?
Alice Delahunt: First, I would like to say that my time at Ralph Lauren was a privilege, I had the opportunity to work with one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world, Ralph himself, and learned a lot about building something iconic, but as of April 2022, I feel like we are at a very exciting time where technology – especially blockchain – is beginning to revolutionize the industry, I have always been a technology enthusiast and I saw the potential for the fashion industry to adopt digital tools to democratize access to luxury goods.
At Ralph, we’ve begun to experiment in the digital space — designing Bitmoji clothing, for example — but it became clear to me that the future of fashion was digital, and more specifically, blockchain, and I couldn’t ignore that any longer.
OpenSea: You mentioned democratizing fashion through technology, can you elaborate on how you think web3 can make fashion more accessible?
Alice Delahunt: Yes, it’s something I’m really passionate about, if you look at the traditional fashion industry it’s built on a system that’s often inaccessible to emerging designers, it’s hard for people without formal training or the right connections to break through, but with the advent of web3 we’re seeing a very different situation, platforms like Instagram or TikTok are allowing people to gain a large following because they have access to a phone and the internet.
Now, web3 is taking this a step further, and creators designing digital fashion on platforms like Roblox or Fortnite are finding audiences and monetizing their work in ways that were never possible before. Some of these creators may have started designing in their bedrooms and are now reaching millions of people. This convergence of accessibility and technology is really exciting to me.
OpenSea: Digital fashion and skins are a big part of gaming worlds like Fortnite and Roblox, but do you think we’ll start to see digital fashion become more prominent outside of these platforms?
Alice Delahunt: Of course, the idea of dressing up a digital identity is already happening on a large scale, with 1.6 billion digital fashion items traded on Roblox last year alone, and these platforms are just getting started, we will see digital fashion become more integrated into our daily lives, especially as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) become more popular.
One of the things I love about digital fashion is that it allows for a different kind of creativity, designers can play with ideas that wouldn’t be possible in the real world, and I think we’re going to start to see digital fashion influence physical fashion in really interesting ways.
OpenSea: You mentioned in past interviews that the digital fashion industry needs to be on the blockchain. Why do you think blockchain is so important to fashion?
Alice Delahunt: There are several reasons. First, it's the issue of ownership. In web3, if you own a digital fashion product, it truly belongs to you. It is not tied to the platform, but is in your wallet and travels with you. This sense of ownership is crucial, especially as people start spending more time in digital spaces.
Secondly, blockchain enables us to track the authenticity of digital assets. Counterfeiting is a huge problem in both the physical and digital fashion worlds, and on-chain verification will be key to ensuring that the items you purchase are authentic. This is particularly important as more luxury brands enter the digital realm - they need to know that their intellectual property is protected.
OpenSea: Speaking of counterfeiting, how big of a problem do you think this will be for digital fashion?
Alice Delahunt: This is already happening and it will get worse if brands don’t take action. In the physical world, brands spend millions of dollars fighting counterfeit goods and we will see the same thing in the digital space. It will be easy for someone to put a designer logo on an avatar and sell it as a legitimate item. This is why it is so important for fashion brands to embrace blockchain. It is the only way to ensure that digital assets can be tracked and authenticated.
This is even more important for emerging designers who enter the digital fashion space. Intellectual property should be protected and blockchain ensures that authenticity can always be verified. We have already seen some high-profile cases, such as the Hermès incident, which highlight the urgency of addressing this issue.
OpenSea: Let’s talk about SYKY, how did you build a community around digital fashion?
Alice Delahunt: Community is everything in web3. What I appreciate most about the web3 space is how it fosters co-creation. We want to build a platform where established and emerging designers can come together to push the boundaries of digital fashion.
We launched SYKY with the Keystone Membership Pass, an NFT that gives holders access to a range of experiences, from masterclasses with leading creatives to behind-the-scenes access to major fashion events like London Fashion Week. We’ve also partnered with the British Fashion Council to give emerging designers the opportunity to showcase their work on a global stage, and it’s been incredible to see so much talent emerging from the SYKY community.
OpenSea: SYKY’s launch was a huge success, can you tell us more about how you curate these series?
Alice Delahunt: Every month we host what we call a SYKY Drop, showcasing collections from both physical and digital designers, these Drops are curated by Nicola Formichetti, who you may know as Lady Gaga’s creative director, Nicola has a keen eye for spotting talent and understands the importance of blending physical and digital fashion in fresh and exciting ways.
Every release is different, and we work closely with the designers to determine the price point, number of releases, and which blockchain to use - whether it's Ethereum or Polygon, we are very conscious of making sure each release reflects the designer's vision.
OpenSea: So in terms of pricing, how do you manage volatility in gas fees and overall costs for buyers and designers?
Alice Delahunt: We work closely with designers to price each product individually, and we also take gas fee fluctuations into account when making our plans. We are always paying attention to different blockchains and their fee structures, which is why we offer Polygon or Ethereum options, which creates flexibility for designers and buyers, and we will launch more blockchains soon.
OpenSea: SYKY is working with big names in the fashion industry. How do you balance working with established and emerging designers?
Alice Delahunt: That’s a great question, at SYKY we take a curatorial perspective, we want to showcase the best digital fashion creators and our collaborations reflect this, we launched SYKY Collective with designers from all over the world, what they have in common is their talent and we are committed to providing them with a platform, no matter where they come from or what their educational background is.
We believe the best talent isn’t confined to certain cities or traditional avenues, and digital fashion is a great equalizer in this regard, and we work hard to foster a community that nurtures this talent, while also building relationships with established brands and designers who want to explore digital fashion in new ways. It’s an exciting time and we’re just getting started.
OpenSea: That’s incredible! Before we wrap up, can you tell us about any upcoming projects or new developments we should keep an eye out for?
Alice Delahunt: We have some very exciting things coming up, this month (October 2024) we are launching a product from PASKAL, a Ukrainian high fashion and ready-to-wear brand known for its creative use of precision laser cutting technology.
Available exclusively through SYKY, their Butterflower collection includes leather key holders embossed with the designer’s enduring ‘Love is the Key’ message and featuring SYKY-branded butterfly motifs, each in their own unique colour and pattern, made from recycled materials, our collaboration marks the first time PASKAL’s designs have been available in a digital format.
Going forward, our SYKY Drops will continue to feature amazing work from both digital and physical designers, and we’re expanding this with more pieces, we’ll also continue to grow our community and foster collaborations with other major fashion houses, and you’ll see more of the fusion of fashion and tech, especially as we explore the possibilities of augmented and virtual reality, so stay tuned!
OpenSea: This has been a really interesting conversation, thank you so much for your time, Alice, and I can’t wait to see what SYKY does next!
Alice Delahunt: Thank you so much, it’s my honor!
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