For some mass designers, the future of fashion is happening in the digital world

A half-dozen pairs of athletic shoes sit on a large conference table in a mostly empty office in West Roxbury. They come in different colors. A pair is depicted in the bright blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag. Another mimics the pattern of a red and white bandana.

The sneakers are Stephanie Howard’s latest designs. After more than 25 years working for apparel giants such as Nike and New Balance, she founded her own company, Endstate, last year.

Each Endstate sneaker has a chip that can be scanned using a smart phone. The screen displays a digital version of the sneaker known as an NFT or Virtual Token. NFTs represent assets in the digital world.

The code “indicates that the condition is valid and that I own the NFT attached to the sneaker,” Howard explained.

Virtual shoes are an important part of Endstate’s business model. The founders of the company believe that all future high-end products will come with virtual friends.

“That digital counterpart has many, many things to offer you as a customer,” Howard said. For one thing, digital sneaker companies serve as tickets to real-life events like parties or conferences.

Gregory Molinar, who recently bought Endstate sneakers and several other pairs, said, “These pieces open up my experiences as an individual” of digital clothing items.

For Molinar, who lives in Fall River, digital fashion is a way to build community and meet people who share his passion for new technologies. Some digital clothes also allow you to participate in the design process.

“Are we actually able to vote on what colors we want this shirt to look like, or what color laces to put on these shoes?” he said.

But there’s another reason companies like Endstate, as well as legacy brands like Nike, Gucci and Prada, are making virtual apparel.

Our digital lives are becoming more sophisticated. And as more social gatherings take place online, the experience is evolving into something more immersive. Musicians like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande have performed in concerts in the so-called “metaverse” — a term for a 3D virtual world that some fans believe is the future of the Internet.

Molinar looks at what’s coming in the way his kids live their digital lives. When his daughter turned 8 this year, she asked for money to buy digital accessories for her favorite fantasy game.

“They already do it,” Molinar said. “Hey, they can play this game, and they can buy these different digital accessories, and they can buy these shoes.”

In June, the company Meta (formerly Facebook) announced the launch of an online store where you can pay for digital clothes in real life. Nike has created a virtual world where you can play games and customize your avatar in virtual Nike gear.

For designers like Afsha Iragori, this offers an opportunity to extend fashion into the digital realm. Shortly after graduating from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Iragori founded her own 3D fashion company.

“It makes things limitless for me,” she said. “I can do anything I want in 3D.”

One of her creations is a bright red dress with bell sleeves and a long, flowing scarf. On the front, black beads create the shape of a skull, evoking images of the punk rock Virgin Mary.

Iragori’s dress will not work in the real world anytime soon. But it can have life and find a market in digital.

A few companies, like Croatian brand Tribute, already sell digital clothing that customers can upload to their social media pictures.

Iragori thinks that fashion-conscious consumers may see this as an environmentally friendly alternative to “fast fashion” — products that produce more affordable, trendy clothes.

“Instead of loving Zara and buying 20 dresses, maybe, as they say,” you know what? “I can reduce that kind of lifestyle,” Iragori said. “Maybe I’ll represent myself more with my avatar and buy these digital clothes… and that’s how I can express myself.”

Howard, of Endstate, admits that the idea of ​​dressing up for the virtual world may still seem far-fetched to many people. But with advances in virtual reality, she believes it will become more ubiquitous.

“We’re communicating online on flat screens these days, and the technology is being built so that you feel like you’re in front of others,” Howard said. “So, why don’t your fashion and favorite products come with you there?”