Beyond The Physical

What makes a business digital-first? The creative minds behind three digital fashion and jewellery enterprises share what it’s like to run in the virtual world.

REPUBLIQE

As seen on screen In a visually driven age of social media, a virtual outfit might earn you more Likes than a physical ensemble.

Forty British pounds (S$70) for a silk gown sounds like an absolute deal. But what if we told you it only existed as an image in the virtual world? In August, James Gaubert launched Republiqe, which he describes as “the world’s first digital-only luxury fashion brand”. Based in Singapore since 2018, the former digital marketer and fashion designer by training decided to combine his key interests when launching his business.

At the Republiqe website, people choose their clothing and upload images of themselves. The site’s team digitally fits the clothing and accessories onto them and then sends the completed images – most likely destined for social media and, hopefully, lots of Likes – back to customers.

Gaubert shares: “Fashion is a challenging, congested market. How do you cut through all the clutter? You need to be doing something different. My company is built around three pillars: technology, creativity and sustainability. As much as possible, I want to challenge and disrupt the industry and consumer behaviour.” He shares his thoughts on why virtual clothing will be more than a passing trend.

How exactly does virtual fashion design work?