American Fashion Heads to the Metaverse in Celebration of the CFDA’s 60th Anniversary

On a mission to connect the past, present, and future of the fashion industry, the CFDA has gathered a diverse group of American designers for a first-of-its-kind digital exhibition in the metaverse. It’s a birthday celebration of sorts, the CFDA is turning 60 this year. “We were reflecting on all we’ve done and accomplished, but it was also a good time to look forward and to see what we could do for the industry,” says Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s CEO.

Anyone on The Sandbox, the blockchain-based 3-d site, can take in the CFDA’s metaverse exhibition. Users will be able to create avatars and virtually meet Kolb (who will be in a custom Thom Browne suit, naturally), fashion historian and exhibition curator Darnell-Jamal Lisby, and a few of the designers participating in the exhibition. “When you are curating contemporary fashion exhibitions physically, you are dealing with conservation issues left and right. In the metaverse, I had a little more creativity, and if I could dream it, it could happen,” Lisby told Vogue. Among Lisby’s dreams: a grunge look from Marc Jacobs’s Perry Ellis collection, one of Stephen Burrow’s lettuce-edged color-blocked numbers, and the iconic Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. 

Also in the mix are Michael Kors, Willy Chavarria, Tommy Hilfiger, Carolina Herrera, and Coach. “All of the designers have a different perspective and a different lived experience which makes this exhibition so special; it really shows why American fashion has been so strong for the last 60 years,” said Lisby.

A few special pieces, like DVF’s wrap, Coach’s Rexy mascot, and a look from Chavarria’s spring 2023 show, will be memorialized as NFTs to coincide with the exhibit. The digital assets will start at $15,000, and with them will come one-of-a-kind IRL experiences like meet-and-greets with designers, front-row seats at NYFW, and a chance to attend the 2023 CFDA Awards.

“Not everyone gets a chance to see physical exhibitions. Metaverse exhibitions help eliminate more barriers to accessing and appreciating fashion because it’s digital. As long as you have wifi, you are able to see it anywhere in the world,” said Lisby. For Kolb, it will be a new way to expand the CFDA’s reach beyond the fashion community. “We wanted to innovate and tell the story of 60 designers and reflect the history of the CFDA in a new way. We are reaching a more global audience, but the audience that we are engaged with can be very centered on fashion or style. But now that we are in this technology space, people who are not fashion people, but maybe tech people, NFT collectors, or gamers, can be exposed to the CFDA, which is an important moment for us.”