The Splice 🧬 Virtual Influencer Imma Stars in Paris Fashion Week Show
Plus why TikTok and Instagram are both investing in avatars and the new generation of luxury brands for crypto and NFTs.
Good afternoon!
Welcome back to The Splice 🧬 by VirtualHumans.org: a weekly newsletter curating the latest news, developments, and insights in the virtual influencer space.
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🧬 Core Strands from This Week
Both Instagram and TikTok are Experimenting With Avatars
🔎 The Synopsis: Meta has officially updated their avatars to 3D versions and rolled them out across Facebook and Instagram. TikTok is also testing the waters with a new potential 3D avatar feature.
🧬 The Splice: Today’s avatars aren’t limited to the world of video games but now social media and messenger apps. Avatars provide a new medium for self-expression and communication without the pressure of posting your “real” face, which makes them ideal for social platforms.
Imma Stars in Doublet’s Fall 2022 as the Unexpected ‘Face’ of the Collection
🔎 The Synopsis: Virtual influencer Imma made a surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week. For Doublet’s new collection, a cast of diverse models wore a pink wig and silicon face mask to resemble Imma.
🧬 The Splice: The use of silicon masks and wigs to create the illusion of an “offline” appearance for Imma was a clever move. So far, this is her 2nd “real world” appearance since her partnership with the Tokyo Paralympics, further proof that not all campaigns with a virtual influencer need to be strictly virtual.
🔭 What We’re Looking at This Week
The Rise Of The Metaverse: Where Crypto, NFT And Luxury Brands Merge
🔑 Key Quote: “Luxury, at its core, is all about the exclusivity of the experience and when the metaverse is open to all, how does that translate? In reality, the metaverse is a technological advancement and tech has always been a way to signal luxury…With NFT’s being used as internet collectibles, having a piece from a top-rated collection is now like owning a Warhol or a Basquiat.” — Joseph DeAcetis
🧬 The Splice: Human influencers have always had a symbiotic relationship with the luxury brands who gift them goods to show off on social media. Now, virtual influencers will be the ones to show off NFTs and other luxury digital items in the metaverse, and they’ve already begun.
Best,
VirtualHumans.org
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Insights by Makena Rasmussen, Christopher Travers, and Ilia-Sybil Sdrali.