James Mack
London-based art director and 3D generalist James Mack talks all things meta fashion, a sustainable approach to NFT sales and the inclusivity that a virtual fashion future ensures. Previously working in a more traditional fashion environment, Mack now opts for digital workspaces that, due to their newness, don’t uphold the same elitist standards of many physical fashion brands. His Earth 2070 project in collaboration with James Joseph for CYBR Magazine focuses on producing NFTs for the purpose of raising money to go towards cleaner tech and energy, a sure step in the right direction for the future of digital art and its carbon footprint on our planet. With his environmentally conscious approach and inclusive nature James Mack is a refreshing voice in the world of digital fashion and art.
Since you have worked mainly in fashion throughout your career, and you’re now more prominently featuring meta fashion on your Instagram - what would you say are the main differences between working with traditional fashion brands and with more meta fashion campaigns?
Interestingly my primary clients are traditional fashion brands trying to break into more digital spaces. Having worked in physical fashion spaces and been anti the low pay and long hours I find that digital spaces are much more open to people from non-rich backgrounds. Also, as this is such an emerging field brands are more open to hearing my ideas.
Do you feel like meta-fashion is overtaking traditional fashion, and is this something you think is necessary for fashion to attain a level of consistent sustainability?
I don’t think it is overtaking traditional fashion, however I can totally imagine a future where we are all wearing morph suits and have AR glasses on. I do strongly believe that photo dressing and AR can be a brilliant component in battling fast fashion.
As an artist have you always been drawn toward more digital art forms and mediums?
Not at all I began very physical. When I was at university, I realised that limitations with budget meant I would struggle to create anything I genuinely wanted. My practice has ended up moving very digital, but moving forward I want it to explore both physical and digital.
Your Earth 2070 project) is impressive, particularly the fact that you’re marketing it to raise money for clean tech and energy. Since meta fashion and NFTs are still fairly new and emerging concepts, could you tell us a bit more about what clean tech and energy would mean for the digital fashion industry?
Earth 2070 was a project developed by myself and James Joseph for CYBR Magazine and isn’t focused on fashion, but rather clean tech and energy across the board. We sell the NFTs in Tezos (a carbon-neutral cryptocurrency) and then have discussions with everyone who has purchased an NFT to decide where to put the funds. Recently we decided to invest in a wind farm.
Being based in the UK, how do you find the digital fashion scene, is it gaining momentum? Are there any large-scale digital fashion events in the works in London?
It absolutely is growing momentum, when I started in late 2019 it was difficult to find information about digital fashion let alone the scale of events we have been seeing. Proof of People, PICNIC (By Mad Global and Avata) and Digital Fashion Week have been great events this year.
Since meta-fashion is really allowing designers to push boundaries and create extravagant couture pieces, do you think it is making high fashion more accessible?
Absolutely, wearing an haute couture garment is something that most people will never experience, but the democratization of AR filters means everyone in some form can. I’m waiting for Iris Van Herpen to explore the field.
Do you have any exciting projects upcoming that you can tell us about? What are your next steps as a digital artist?
I am very much focusing on combining my digital practice with a more physical space. Hopefully this is going to mean longer-form videos.
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