Addressing the trends: Digital dressing's impact on Instagram

Digital dressing is a relatively new phenomenon of owning a piece of clothing virtually so it can be digitally imposed onto your body through a social media app.

Certain apps have had similar features for years, allowing users to put headwear on a photo of themselves, as was the case in the rudimentary phases of Snapchat.

However, this has developed into an entire outfit being digitally fitted to the body of a person’s portrait, to their unique size and shape, so that they can post photos of them “wearing” the clothing.

Who does this affect? And how?

While those not accustomed to everyday life on Instagram might raise an eyebrow at this very concept, this presents a fantastic opportunity for fashion brands to further promote their products and generate virtual sales.

The idea is simple: a person purchases this virtual product so they can post a photo of themselves wearing it online. 

No physical fabric needs to be acquired or manufactured by the fashion label, which simply requires a photo editing platform and somebody capable of navigating it. Therefore, it could end up with lower operating costs for the fashion label long-term. Agencies like Bark Social can help you navigate the world of digital dressing.

It saves the purchaser potential shipping costs and satisfies their need to upload a photo of them wearing the outfit.

Good for companies… and for the environment?

Perhaps an unexpected outcome of digital dressing for some is its impact on environmental concerns. If you consider how damaging fast fashion can be, because of the harmful substances used and often unethical working conditions associated with making products cheaply for mass availability, there’s an argument to be made that this decreases how many people will buy clothes and throw them out soon after.

Remarkably, almost 20% of the population state that they won’t post the same outfit twice on social media.

If your intention is to have a new item of clothing to pose for Instagram and nothing else, why not purchase it digitally? You’ll have nothing physical to throw away, no packaging will be involved, and the purchaser won’t be contributing to potentially harsh or exploitative working conditions of fabricators in developing countries.

It’s a wonderful public relations opportunity for fashion brands, and Instagram as a platform, to present themselves as conscientious when it comes to sustainability.

The bottom line

It’s another avenue for sales for a fashion brand. If somebody is only interested in buying the physical product, they still have the opportunity to do so, yet this alternative option is available to somebody who would like to own the piece digitally.

Digital dressing looks set to stay and fashion brands should embrace such opportunities to maximise sales and contribute to sustainability efforts. Get in touch with Bark Social today to learn more about the new age of online fashion.