Streetwear sensibilities remain at the core of this cohort’s lifestyle. However, they’re just as comfortable in virtual gowns and slinky clubwear as they are in baggy jeans and Jordans on a night out on the town (or a night in, gaming with friends).

Although they’re an urban group – hailing from East Asian metropolises like Shanghai and Tokyo, to countercultural capitals like Los Angeles and Berlin – the Virtual Vanguard’s true home is in the infiniteness of cyberspace. As new metaverses and platforms grow into their own, this cohort is engaging with digital fashion and exploring more options for creative expression than ever before, shaping their virtual realities to match their wildest fantasies.

Proof that the Virtual Vanguard’s interests are no longer niche, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have officially taken a hold of fashion. The Decentral Art Pavilion in Venice was the world’s first clothing NFT exhibit; Vogue Singapore dropped an inclusive NFT collection; and Bella Hadid is selling NFTs that grant owners access to an exclusive Discord server.

This cohort is shifting away from mega-platforms like Instagram and engaging with smaller communities and content creators elsewhere. That includes tuning into their favourite streamers on Twitch or subscribing to artists, writers and musicians on Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee. Socialising often happens on gamified, fashion-driven apps (like Korean platform Zepeto), or old-school favourites enjoying a revival (such as Second Life, IMVU and The Sims Mobile). My Little Star and anime-inspired Genshin Impact are sources of cute digital style inspiration.

Thanks to the Virtual Vanguard’s efforts, digital culture is becoming more diverse even as it becomes more localised. In the US, And Also Too is a group fighting for a fairer internet at the intersection of art and design, while Black Beyond is an art collective imagining “alternate realities for Blackness” through digital methods. Elsewhere, Zimbabwean start-up Lalaland.ai creates hyperrealistic plus-sized digital avatars, and UK-based student-led The Unfur Project is an NFT collection of ‘fur’ garments designed to replace inhumane real-world practices.

With Covid-19 restrictions all but lifted in most parts of the world, even the internet-obsessed are venturing outside to take part in real-life activities like raving, going to festivals and travelling. This year saw the return of huge music festivals like Coachella, Tomorrowland and Wireless Festival, while US rapper Megan Thee Stallion debuted an immersive virtual reality concert tour called Enter Thee Hottieverse, which sold out quickly.

Events with hybrid elements are popular among members of this cohort, who like having the option of switching between digital and physical worlds (see more in Retail & Engagement Preferences below). In London, multimedia exhibit Our Time on Earth envisions a gender-fluid, sustainable future, while department store Selfridges’ Superfutures exhibition displays artworks that imagine a “positive and ever-expanding future”, alongside sustainable products. Elsewhere, Germany-based Pylon-Lab’s phygital showcases explore time as an artistic medium, and American designer Paris of futurewear brand 69999 is partnering with e-tailer Depop for an exhibit-cum-pop-up highlighting the impact of fashion overconsumption in Los Angeles.

In addition to rap and hip-hop, the sounds favoured by this cohort are eclectic, moody, experiential, and mostly electronic. American singer Grimes remains the poster girl of the techno-imbued, dystopic tone and lifescapes of the Virtual Vanguard, but there are plenty of other names to know. These include virtual artist and anime character Teflon Sega (who releases one song a week), UK-based body-positive e-girl pop sensation Shygirl, and Japanese musician Aya Gloomy (who makes surreal bedroom electro and has been a DJ at digital fashion shows).

Members of this cohort are getting in touch with their spiritual sides and gravitating towards softer, ethereal styles, particularly online, where there’s no limit to their imagination. Digital labels and designers like Placebo, Yimeng Yu, Xtended iDentity, 143Dress, Tony Murray and Morchen Liu have established themselves recently with their dreamlike aesthetics.

Back in the real world, memories of lockdowns are fading further into the distance as the Virtual Vanguard get decked out in clubwear. Popular brands include US post-humanist clothing label Maisie Willen, Barcelona’s sci-fi-inspired Syndical Chamber, and the grotesquely alien Florence-based Avavav. Daemon Concept, a jewellery brand by Hungarian designer Sophia Rotas, is a recent addition to Europe’s rave scene, drawing inspiration from biology, music and tech to challenge ideas about conformity. Dutch artist Esmay Wagemans’ wearable art pieces are also influenced by science fiction, while Asian American designer Chet Lo is inspired by anime and Barbarella.

Ottolinger (Germany) and Balenciaga (France) are established brands that the Vanguard can’t get enough of, and US rapper Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack clothing line is a perennial favourite due to successful collaborations with brands like Dior and Nike’s Air Jordan. Ambush (Japan) mixes luxe cuts with streetwear styles to create the effortlessly cool clothes this cohort wants to cop.

About Face (US) is an affordable beauty brand from Gen-Z-favourite singer Halsey, mixing retro imperfection with neon colours. The Unseen (UK) just launched Colour Alchemy, the first heat-reactive, colour-changing hair dye. And applying the same tech to clothes is Japanese “thermochromic” label Rensuke Tokyo. Another innovative brand is Berlin-based Kasia Kucharska, which processes liquid latex through a self-developed digital printing process to create body-conscious clothing.

Keep an eye on Lexxola’s sunglasses and Ruby Mellish’s transcendental jewellery pieces to find out how this cohort accessorises their offline looks.

The Virtual Vanguard visit a variety of websites to buy and sell real-life fashion. Resale platforms like StockX, Grailed and Depop remain popular, while older ones like eBay are a reliable source of good finds. Newer contenders – such as Farfetch’s expanding pre-owned section and luxury reseller Vestiaire Collective – are providing this cohort with their high-end second-hand fashion fix.

Since this is a group of invested deal hunters and crypto natives, when they’re not paying for their purchases in digital currency at Gucci, they’re earning it for every penny they spend – a process made easy with sites like StormX or the official Crypto.com Visa card.

As mentioned previously, this cohort likes being able to move seamlessly between the digital and the physical, and that extends to their shopping habits. US metaversal shopping platform Highstreet partnered with Chinese American streetwear designer Jonathan Koon (of clothing line Mostly Heard Rarely Seen 8-Bit) to create a retail experience connected to the metaverse.

Meanwhile, New York City-based Web3 fashion brand Cult&Rain launched an NFT sneaker collection with an installation and party at Outernet, a new hub for immersive experiences in London. And US entertainment brand Superplastic launched its first physical retail location in New York City, which has NFTs and digital-token-gated experiences available for purchase in-store. In another first, an artificial-intelligence-run (AI), esports-themed hotel will be opening in Hangzhou, China by the end of this year, unlocking big spending potential in the world’s largest gaming market.

To enhance their gaming experiences, this group routinely spends money on virtual goods and character skins in games like Fortnite, Minecraft and, particularly, Roblox. Karlie Kloss, Burberry and Gucci have all dropped collections in Roblox in the last three months, solidifying its reputation as the most popular platform for fashion labels to experiment with. When they’re not making in-game purchases, members of the Virtual Vanguard are thinking about how to earn money in the metaverse by gaming or selling their creations.

Tap into ambient content, anime and future nostalgia to engage aesthetically with this group, who are inspired by moody visuals and cyberpunk-like dystopic scenarios. The AI-generated art from Dall-E, the internet’s favourite AI meme machine, is everywhere recently, and the Virtual Vanguard’s feeds are filled with chrome lettering, liminal spaces and scenes from retro anime shows.

Since members of this cohort are multi-hyphenates who resist definition themselves, they’re influenced by like-minded cultural curators. Owo Anietie is a Nigerian creator redefining Afrofuturism for the NFT era, while German artist Antoni Tudisco and Chinese designer Uv Zhu are pioneering new visual narratives for the metaverse. Other names to note are creative director Julia Dang (Stockholm), stylist Elle Hioe and multidisciplinary artist Serwah Attafuah (both Sydney), digital designers Davina India, Gabriel Massan (both Germany), and Cattin Tsai (China), and vintage fits lover Tara Chandra (Sydney).

While digital make-up artists Ines Alpha (Paris) and Neea Kuurne (Finland) are serving unique metaverse-exclusive looks, Sophia Sinot brings cyber-styles to the real world and employs AI in her artistic practice.

Unique creators are coming out of Asia-Pacific, like Singaporean glitch pop artist Yeule (who spends a lot of time online pondering about AI), Japanese designer Ikeuchi Hiroto (whose wearable machine art transforms humans into cyborgs), and Vietnamese cybergoth fashion designer Dre Aoki. Meanwhile, the otherworldly glass nails from South Korean artist Sojin Oh recently graced the fingertips of Grimes and the cover of W Magazine. And Japanese wig maker Tomihiro Kono’s anime-inspired hairpieces deliver on the desire for retro newness.

Our five-track Virtual Vanguard playlist features Yeule, Shygirl, Flo Milli, Aya Gloomy, Mura Masa, Pa Salieu, Skillibeng and Kali Uchis.