So, what is the Metaverse? I had been looking for an answer by reading a few articles and expert definitions, but alas my ideas were still fuzzy, even after meditating over Matthew Ball’s description of the Metaverse, which is considered one of the clearest and most comprehensive.
“The Metaverse is a massively scaled and interoperable network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds which can be experienced synchronously and persistently by an effectively unlimited number of users with an individual sense of presence, and with continuity of data, such as identity, history, entitlements, objects, communications, and payments.”
Last week, for the first time in my life, I actually experienced the Metaverse! I hoped that this first-hand knowledge would enable me to grasp the profound significance of a word which has become very popular; even inspire me on how to take advantage of this new technological trend on behalf of the hair and beauty industry.
And I was right! Just one simple and short journey into the virtual world made everything so much clearer. The occasion was Decentraland’s Metaverse Fashion Week, an event that offered a virtual high fashion adventure with over 60 brands participating.
The program offers a very friendly interface that allows even visitors without a visor and with a normal computer to participate, choose their avatar and wander freely in a cartoon-like world, choosing from runway shows, after-parties, immersive experiences, shopping, panel talks and much more.
Despite my initial clumsiness, with a few minutes of practice, I was able to access different areas and have a good look around this digital representation of the fashion world. What makes it attractive for business is that participants can, of course, purchase goods in places like the first flagship store of Selfridges on the Metaverse, or browse among the high-level brands, artists, and designers that have made #MVFW22 a milestone event in the global fashion industry.
Everyone seemed so excited by a virtual reality in which apparently ‘anything is possible’, as they dressed their avatar to the nines, or took a front-row seat at the catwalk. Everyone’s a VIP in the Metaverse!
After a while, as my computer temperature was rising out of control stressed by the heavy task, I started to feel a little out of place and asked myself what was I doing there. My prevalent emotion began to be one of perplexity as to the Metaverse and its possible implications. It was in that moment that I recalled my son’s favourite computer games, Minecraft and Fortnite. I realised that the Metaverse I had just experienced works with the exact same concepts and rules as those very popular video games. They’re games that the younger generations love and consider an integral part of their daily lives.
In the end, I don’t believe people of my generation will ever enjoy shopping in the guise of a cartoon avatar on a computer screen, but I am pretty sure this Metaverse is a means of communication that young people have become accustomed to and learn to relish.
That goes for the hair and beauty business, just as it does for anybody else. So, if we do not want to lose contact with the evolving market, we’d better follow the trend!
