“Who are you dressing for? Do you really feel fulfilled? Give yourself permission to follow your heart and go beyond what the physical world allows.” – The Fabricant
Circling the sanctum is a mysterious boutique and fitting room. As you browse the collection you might catch a glimpse of yourself in futuristic mirrors, but you’ve been adorned – so you pause and play. On this carpet, this catwalk – you’re the model. Your form is measured whilst ethereal fabric and alien weavings are fitted to you on the opposite side. Do you like what you see?
These are the garments, masks, face filters and headdresses of digital fashion house The Fabricant. Their aim is to stimulate a fashion renaiXance – a shift to democratised digital trends and new, decentralised economies that live on the blockchain. In their vision, artists from far corners of the world can collaborate in real time – making their own sales outside mainstream markets with online commissions, digital assets and NFT’s. In this way creatives can bypass the fashion establishment, whose power players implant collective insecurities for profit – selling us goods that will only go to waste next season. If you don’t like what you see, rather than send it to landfill just overwrite the file.
It’s a common ritual, to stare at yourself in the mirror and consider: today, how well am I signalling my values? Who do I want to be and where do I want to belong? Fashion is a tool. You might mask – freed by anonymity. Or, you might signal to your community – sending messages to those who understand them. The costume you decide could help you stand taller and dance harder. Facial filters and augmented realities allow us to alter ourselves without limit: we can beautify or become different species altogether. How does your body move beneath this virtual layer? Are you enticed by femininity, masculinity or androgyny in ways you didn’t expect? Here, discover new ways of expressing your truth – perhaps previously you never had the space to imagine…
The Fabricant | conceived 2018, The Netherlands
The Fabricant is an Amsterdam-based digital fashion house operating at the intersection of fashion and technology, creating garments purely for use in virtual spaces. Its pieces explore the concept of fluidity, both in their aesthetic and within the context of the digital environment, where self expression can exist beyond the fixed boundaries of fashion and gender in the physical world.
WHOLELAND is presented at Nxt Museum in collaboration with Samsung’s technology.
Nxt Museum and Samsung Electronics Benelux partner with the aim of bringing together art and technology. Together, they will ignite curiosity, fuel creativity and educate through art and technology. New Samsung technology is integrated throughout the museum, offering a state of the art museum experience as well as enhanced storytelling and a groundbreaking Digital Fashion experience in collaboration with The Fabricant.