Valentino and Bitmoji: dressing another self

A digital outfit has no fabric, but it still has to communicate a recognisable silhouette. Valentino’s November 2023 Bitmoji collection carried pieces from Resort 2024 into an avatar wardrobe.

A crepe dress, embroidered blazer, jeans, Rockstud shoes and an Alltime bag supplied several routes into the house’s vocabulary. The objects were simplified for a character rather than reproduced as garments someone could physically wear.

The launch also used paid digital items, making the relationship between a familiar brand and a screen-based identity part of the proposition.

The interesting question was not whether an avatar could replace a wardrobe. It was how people use clothing references to represent themselves in different settings. A recognisable accessory can do that work even when its material existence has been replaced by a rendered shape.