Before the whole Metaverse boom we’ve been experiencing lately, there was actually already a Metaverse in which people lived, loved and worked. It’s called Second Life and that virtual world is still very much alive. During New York Fashion Week it even had a ravishing runway show by none other than Jonathan Simkhai. Missed it? No worries, you can still witness the digital catwalk and even get your hands on some unique fashion NFTs.
Ten virtual Jonathan Simkhai runway looks
The Fashion Week show featured looks from Simkhai’s new Fall/Winter 2022 collection. As virtual models strutted the runway fashion influencers and editors took note in their front-row seats as avatars. The collection consisted of 10 enticing looks from Simkhai’s real life collection, that were turned into virtual garments for the occasion.

No physical runway show
The Second Life show seems to have been a virtual preview of the designer’s Fall/Winter collection. A day after the digital show the full physical ready-to-wear collection was presented to journalists and buyers in New York by appointment. Simkhai decided to stray away from the usual real life runway show and told Vogue: “I really wanted to break the ice and figure this new world out and try to expose my customer to it, but also acquire a new customer. It’s not like I was doing one instead of the other; it was business as usual with an extra fun layer.”

Get your hands on the NFTs
As you’d expect from a Metaverse show, there are indeed NFTs to be had of the different virtual Simkhai garments. Second Life users got the first pick for their avatars, but the rest of us can also join in on the fashion fun. Six of the new pieces are now for sale as NFTs through opensea.io. Five of the items can be purchased immediately, while a shimmering golden dress is up for auction with a minimum bid of 1 Ether, which is about 2.7 thousand USD at the moment. It’s a steep price for a dress that doesn’t exist, but it might just be the investment that lands you the big bucks later on.
If you’re bummed out because you missed the show, you’ll definitely get more chances to witness Metaverse runway shows. In March Decentraland is planning a big Fashion Week event to excite fashionista’s all over the (digital) world.
Source: Dezeen
Header image: Jonathan Simkhai, Second Life