Opportunity Awaits When Fashion and Tech Collide
Opportunity Awaits When Fashion and Tech Collide
22 Oct 2021
Fashion students and enthusiasts of all kinds now have the chance to be a part of virtual history. Istituto Marangoni Miami, or The Miami School of Fashion & Design, has recently announced a brand new partnership with ZEPETO, an app and social media platform where users personalize avatars and create virtual worlds.
“This is an extremely cutting edge partnership between Fashion and Tech,” says Stephen Iacullo, the IMM Campus Director. “Istituto Marangoni Miami is the forerunner in doing innovative partnerships with different industries. We take pride in partnering up with companies to push the future of fashion.”
Students who wish to pursue a career in the industry can now find new ways to design and re-think fashion. This cutting-edge format for learning will allow students to reshape their design process with 3D simulation, challenge their creative abilities, and create fashion styles in a virtual environment. This includes the use of a virtual map of the IMM campus, where digital avatars can explore the 7-floor luxury building from the comfort of their own home, and connect with others in a virtual landscape centered upon innovation and creativity.
Rudy Lee, Chief Strategy Officer at ZEPETO says, “Our partnership with Istituto Marangoni Miami will be one of our first collaborations with the academic world, and we’re very excited to invite future fashion designers into the metaverse.”
This partnership is just one of the many ways that The Miami School of Fashion & Design has maintained their place as a fulcrum for emerging trends, an important factor within an industry where staying on top of the current meta is so vital. ZEPETO is most popular among Generation Z, who are no strangers to a virtual-first environment, and the benefits it can have on academia. Now this clash of fashion & technology will aim to reinvent the way we look at the industry, and hopefully open doors for more opportunities like it.
“It is fascinating to see companies working together in an era where user experience matters more than a label. The extension of 3D fashion items are helping brands measure the success of their collections before sourcing, manufacturing and beyond. Can this become a tool for the fashion supply chain to reduce fast fashion?” asks Francis Martinez, IMM Director of Corporate Partnerships.
To inaugurate the partnership, the two companies have created a scholarship award for students wishing to begin a career in the fashion industry. Hundreds of candidates will participate in a fashion contest that uses the ZEPETO app, using their creative talents for a chance to earn a scholarship with IMM.
For 86 years, Istituto Marangoni Miami has been offering a wide range of fashion degrees, including two-year Associate’s Degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s programs, and a number of education courses and youth programs. For more information on the scholarship or any general questions, you can download a free program brochure, or schedule an appointment for virtual admissions or a campus tour on our website today.
