This event will support graduate employability and promote sustainable fashion practice. Credit: Manchester Metropolitan University

For the Virtual Trading Fair, Manchester Met’s Fashion Buying students collaborated with BrandLab360 to create an immersive experience, allowing participants to virtually attend and engage from anywhere in the world.

Credit: Manchester Fashion Institute

Buyers can explore virtual showrooms and view designs, a direction that experts at MFI believe the fashion industry will be heading towards in the future.

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The institute explained that this event will support graduate employability and promote sustainable fashion practice by providing students with practical experience in tackling real-world industry challenges using the latest digital tools and skills.

MFI highlighted that digitalising key functions such as buying and retailing is seen as a way to make fashion more sustainable. It emphasised that developing and researching virtual fashion events are a key step in contributing to a fully sustainable fashion industry.

Anita Mitchell, Manchester Fashion Institute’s digital strategic lead, stated: ”Virtual Reality and the Metaverse continue to be an important focus within our concurrently refreshed curriculum.  This digital partnership with BrandLab360 is integral in supporting the digitalisation of our fashion curriculum by further extending our vast experience in this area.”

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Dan O’Connell, co-founder of BrandLab360, noted that through this ground-breaking technology, the partnership has enabled students to be the first in the UK to create a fashion buying experience that is both more sustainable and inclusive.

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O’Connell added: “I have always been impressed at how the team at Manchester Met embrace technology. We are proud to be working with MFI’s subject leader Jackie Rayner and the fashion-buying and merchandising students, who will shortly become graduate innovators of the future.”

Earlier in January, Manchester Metropolitan University secured planning approval for its £4m ($5m) Robotics Living Lab (RoLL), to facilitate fashion research and production through collaborative and soft robotics, agile tooling, and a focus on local and sustainable practices.