Dressing up as your most admired fantastical character is a massive immersive experience for gamers, comic-book enthusiasts and anyone with a passion for otherworldly realms. But with all the costumes, make-up and props come a whole ton of physical clutter and waste (yes, I said it - no matter how much I love my Mage cloak bulking up my IRL closet).

Schieva, a web3 fantasy fashion designer, has taken this notion of unsustainability in the cosplay industry and flipped it into the digital sphere where physical waste is no longer an issue.

“I realise that every cosplay costume is not sustainable fashion,” she explains. “It's impossible for a cosplayer to wear the same costume at every event. In fact, a lot of my friends buy costumes just to take photos and share them on social media. Just wearing the costume 2 to 3 times and then throwing it away is really a waste. In the end, if the costumes are not rented out, all will become garbage and thrown away.”

This sense of physical waste in cosplay is what initially prompted Schieva to transition from physical to digital fashion.

“Digital fashion is really the best solution if we want to wear a costume only for social media or fast-fashion purposes. It can even be used on an avatar in the metaverse,” Schieva says. “With the power of web 3.0, we can disrupt the traditional fashion industry, make it more sustainable and ethical. We can also own and trade digital garments as NFTs, just like we do with physical clothes.”

Born and raised in Bandung, Indonesia, Schieva had a keen interest in cosplay as early as 2008 when she was still in high school. After graduating, she attended Parahyangan Catholic University where she studied a management course.

“Of course, my college major and work have absolutely nothing to do with fashion design or 3D art,” Schieva says. “I taught myself how to make clothing patterns when making physical cosplay costumes. Whenever I have free time, I often use it to try to make costumes with varied patterns.”

Her deep love for cosplay and fantasy coupled with her strong values of eco-friendly fashion practices fueled Schieva’s drive to create exceptionally inspirational digital garments.

“Armed with over 10 years of experience in cosplay garment creation, which, of course, are always related to fantasy themes, I hope to make costumes that can turn people from nothing into heroes,” she says. “Because, I believe, fashion is a language without words. Each outfit can explain who the wearer is. When someone wears a hero costume, they will automatically act like a hero. This is the slogan of each of my works: ‘from zero to hero’."

Schieva has a competitive edge when it comes to designing digital fashion pieces because of her niche genre. There is an immense amount of global competition in this space but for Schieva, her ability to tell stories through her garments that represent other cultures and worlds is what sets her apart.

Schieva’s top favourite digital garment she has created thus far is the Legendary Fire Fox - Rekka since she has been studying Japanese culture since she was just a child. “The 9-tailed fox is said to be some of the most powerful creatures in all Japanese mythology,” she explains. “I am proud to have succeeded in making this strong, cultural design.”

When it comes to chilling in the metaverse, Schieva has her ultimate hangout: “I love seeing the various metaverse exhibits through the AltspaceVR platform,” she says. “It allows us to host and attend various digital events globally. We can even talk directly to people around us using the mic as a device.”

And for those of you aspiring digital fashion designers, Schieva has some core advice for getting started. “The main software needed to create a realistic simulation of digital fashion is Clo3d or Marvelous Designer,” she says.

“You can use Adobe Substance Painter software to give your garments more detailed textures. You can also use Wilcom software for making embroidery details. And for making avatars and animation, I suggest you use Daz Studio. It will be much easier to learn. Finally, for rendering purposes, you can use any 3D software you like, such as Clo3d, Daz Studio, Blender or Cinema4D.”

Connect with Schieva on Twitter.

Dressing up as your most admired fantastical character is a massive immersive experience for gamers, comic-book enthusiasts and anyone with a passion for otherworldly realms. But with all the costumes, make-up and props come a whole ton of physical clutter and waste (yes, I said it - no matter how much I love my Mage cloak bulking up my IRL closet).

Schieva, a web3 fantasy fashion designer, has taken this notion of unsustainability in the cosplay industry and flipped it into the digital sphere where physical waste is no longer an issue.

“I realise that every cosplay costume is not sustainable fashion,” she explains. “It's impossible for a cosplayer to wear the same costume at every event. In fact, a lot of my friends buy costumes just to take photos and share them on social media. Just wearing the costume 2 to 3 times and then throwing it away is really a waste. In the end, if the costumes are not rented out, all will become garbage and thrown away.”

This sense of physical waste in cosplay is what initially prompted Schieva to transition from physical to digital fashion.

“Digital fashion is really the best solution if we want to wear a costume only for social media or fast-fashion purposes. It can even be used on an avatar in the metaverse,” Schieva says. “With the power of web 3.0, we can disrupt the traditional fashion industry, make it more sustainable and ethical. We can also own and trade digital garments as NFTs, just like we do with physical clothes.”

Born and raised in Bandung, Indonesia, Schieva had a keen interest in cosplay as early as 2008 when she was still in high school. After graduating, she attended Parahyangan Catholic University where she studied a management course.

“Of course, my college major and work have absolutely nothing to do with fashion design or 3D art,” Schieva says. “I taught myself how to make clothing patterns when making physical cosplay costumes. Whenever I have free time, I often use it to try to make costumes with varied patterns.”

Her deep love for cosplay and fantasy coupled with her strong values of eco-friendly fashion practices fueled Schieva’s drive to create exceptionally inspirational digital garments.

“Armed with over 10 years of experience in cosplay garment creation, which, of course, are always related to fantasy themes, I hope to make costumes that can turn people from nothing into heroes,” she says. “Because, I believe, fashion is a language without words. Each outfit can explain who the wearer is. When someone wears a hero costume, they will automatically act like a hero. This is the slogan of each of my works: ‘from zero to hero’."

Schieva has a competitive edge when it comes to designing digital fashion pieces because of her niche genre. There is an immense amount of global competition in this space but for Schieva, her ability to tell stories through her garments that represent other cultures and worlds is what sets her apart.

Schieva’s top favourite digital garment she has created thus far is the Legendary Fire Fox - Rekka since she has been studying Japanese culture since she was just a child. “The 9-tailed fox is said to be some of the most powerful creatures in all Japanese mythology,” she explains. “I am proud to have succeeded in making this strong, cultural design.”

When it comes to chilling in the metaverse, Schieva has her ultimate hangout: “I love seeing the various metaverse exhibits through the AltspaceVR platform,” she says. “It allows us to host and attend various digital events globally. We can even talk directly to people around us using the mic as a device.”

And for those of you aspiring digital fashion designers, Schieva has some core advice for getting started. “The main software needed to create a realistic simulation of digital fashion is Clo3d or Marvelous Designer,” she says.

“You can use Adobe Substance Painter software to give your garments more detailed textures. You can also use Wilcom software for making embroidery details. And for making avatars and animation, I suggest you use Daz Studio. It will be much easier to learn. Finally, for rendering purposes, you can use any 3D software you like, such as Clo3d, Daz Studio, Blender or Cinema4D.”

Connect with Schieva on Twitter.