The ai-FaMe x Dorophy Tang "From Digital Fashion Avatar to Collectible Figure" project — led by Profs. Chloe Ki and Christina Wong — marks a bold new direction for fashion — one where the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds are blurred. The project challenges the traditional notion of fashion as merely clothing for the human body and redefines it as a multi-sensory, cross-dimensional experience.
In this project, fashion takes on multiple forms—existing simultaneously as digital content for avatars in virtual spaces like the metaverse; digital assets in non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces such as OpenSea; and physical collectible figures that consumers can own in the real world. Through this multidimensional approach, the ai-FaMe × Dorophy Tang project redefines fashion as more than garments by positioning fashion as intellectual property, digital art, and lifestyle merchandise. The endeavour illustrates how fashion can originate in the digital realm and seamlessly transition into a physical form, how cultural narratives can be preserved and reimagined through technology, and how collaboration between fashion education and the industry can drive meaningful innovation. Ultimately, this initiative presents a forward-looking blueprint for the future of fashion, where creativity and technology converge to create new kinds of consumer experiences across both digital and physical platforms.
Key milestones include:
- October 2023: Launch of the “Avatar Design Contest” at SFT
- May 2024: Celebration of the top three winning student-designed avatars
- October 2024: Launch of the “Calling for Names” initiative for the top avatars
- November 2024: Minting of the selected student avatars as NFTs on the ai-FaMe OpenSea Store
- April 2025: Beyond digital achievements, the avatars were brought to life as physical fashion collectibles. SFT design alumna Ms Catherine Hui’s winning avatar Jade — inspired by SFT’s signature brand colours and the elegance of the Chinese qipao — was reimagined as a cultural-meets-commercial fashion collectible. This transformation was made possible through the strategic guidance of Mr Joe Wong and a creative collaboration with renowned IP and toy designer, Ms Dorophy Tang, best known for her brand A Shoppin’ Baby.
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