Hands down, Zepeto is my favourite metaverse to visit when it comes to diverse worlds, gameplay and, of course, digital fashion. A virtual library of gowns, skirts, denim jackets, cowboy boots, glittering angel wings and more are all available at my fingertips. But with such a choice comes a certain identity crisis: How will I represent myself in this space? How do I want to be perceived? And how does clothing help me portray this message?

Enter Lyss, a Zepeto slash Decentraland style icon I was fortunate enough to meet on Instagram (how very un-web3 of me). She answered many of my self-probing questions about digital representation in the metaverse through her colourful creativity when it comes to curating her virtual looks. 

Lyss was even so kind as to airdrop me a few of her shiny garments, hairstyles and earrings to my Decentraland backpack to help a digital fashion friend out (I was looking rather drab in the standard closet wearables). If that is anything to go by, it shows her depth and kindness as not only a participant in these online worlds but as a true advocate of web3 culture which is community, empowerment and just plain niceness. 

Lyss is from Canada and describes herself as a digital entrepreneur. She is a creative in the truest sense of the word, with her work ranging from 3D printing to graphic designing, plus English to French translation on the side. 

“I love storytelling through photos and video edits, and tend to view life through a cinematic lens,” Lyss says. “While I have a degree in French Studies, I’ve spent most of my life working in tourism in order to travel to new destinations and be immersed in different cultures.”

Digital fashion has become a major source of inspiration for Lyss. Although the digital fashion space is still in its infancy, Lyss realises its massive potential and envisions herself as a key figure in shaping its future. 

“My goal is to continue to grow with the evolution of digital fashion,” she says. “While there are already some digital avatars on the fashion scene, I’d love to have the opportunity to be a digital fashion stylist/model as more designers (big and small) find their way into the space.”

As Lyss started to collect wearables for her meta wardrobe, particularly for Decentraland, she saw this as an opportunity to recognise the creators behind these garments by giving them special mentions in her posts. 

“I think user-generated content can be invaluable for designers and I wanted to contribute to the community by showcasing their talents,” she says.

I can recall one such instance of this when I DMed Lyss about an exceptionally talented digital designer Helen Do. Helen had recently created a couple of garments on Zepeto for the first time and I let Lyss know. She literally went and purchased a gorgeous printed digital dress Helen had made to showcase her support for budding talent (I mean, the dress is stunning). 

Speaking of which, for Lyss, Zepeto is one of her go-to metaverse given the utility and versatility of the platform. And she breaks down the core of the online universe pretty well, I might add. 

“Zepeto uses in-game currency for purchases, which can either be earned by completing daily quests or purchased with fiat,” she explains. “It can be played on mobile, tablet or PC/Mac. I love this app because I don’t have to spend money in order to be a collector.”

“With the daily coin allowance, it doesn’t take long to save up for the items on your wishlist. Zepeto offers an extensive marketplace including both big brands and small creators, with new drops happening every few days. The quality of the avatar appearance and the emote animation has me hooked.” 

“As a fashion enthusiast, I love the range of model poses they have available. With new poses/dances being dropped daily, it’s a fantastic creative outlet that consistently encourages new content.”

That’s another aspect of Zepeto I enjoy. It enables users like myself and Lyss to easily create engaging content. There is so much variety in the lighting, backgrounds, sounds and poses, it’s difficult to not get addicted.

Decentraland is another meta-universe Lyss enjoys hanging out in. Her digital pack back is filled with shiny wearables, from glowy crowns to v-neck gowns. 

“Decentraland also uses its own currency called Mana, which is a cryptocurrency token. This means you need to transfer your fiat into crypto in order to purchase items from the marketplace,” Lyss explains. “This also means that the value of your items can fluctuate with the value of the token, which comes into play as you have the ability to resell your items on a secondary marketplace.” 

“You can also use Mana to purchase plots of land on the Decentraland map, allowing owners to create their own galleries, shopfronts and music venues. I love Decentraland for the fierce community spirit, the intimate music experiences and the strong sense of support for small creators.”

Zepeto has recently introduced a collab with DressX and the pieces in that collection are incredibly unique to the typical style of clothes found on the platform. Lyss is amped to try on the range of items and curate them according to her personal style. 

“They recently released a line in collaboration with influencer/creator Monica Quin. There’s a green “forest sprite” dress that I grabbed because it reminded me of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Lyss says. “I’ve been working on recreating some beautiful vintage outfits I wore in a recent photoshoot, so that’s been a lot of fun. I’m excited to reveal them!”

Beyond styling, Lyss recently modelled in Metaverse Fashion Week 2022, which was held in Decentraland for the very first time earlier this year.

“I had the honour of walking in KidSuper’s Flying Bird Pants. His whole line was pretty funky,” Lyss says. “I also have to shout out designers Soultry Dubs, GoldiLox and Doki3D who are keeping the ladies looking fine.” 

“I also spent quite a bit of time over winter hosting events in Decentraland with the Babydolls - in particular, the Absolutland x Coachella event was an incredible experience to be a part of - a true community effort! I had the pleasure of working with Erick Sermon and Def Squad Meta on their first Decentraland event, which was pretty unreal as I grew up listening to them.”

Digital fashion in general has sentimental value to Lyss. It allows her, like many others (including myself), to own garments, jewellery and accessories that aren’t readily available to us in the real world. And perhaps I wouldn’t even be brave enough to wear.

“IRL I still wear hand-me-downs I got 10 years ago and don’t currently own any heels,” Lyss explains. “Meta.Lyss has a closet full of clothes I could only dream of wearing. I’ve been inspired by digital fashion because of its versatility, sustainability, and inclusivity. 

“I may not be able to go to the grocery store IRL as a Disney villain or fairy princess but I can be whatever I want to be on my digital fashion socials. It’s a beautiful pathway to self-expression and I’m so grateful for it!”

There’s a quote if I’ve ever seen one.

Connect with Lyss on Instagram here and TikTok here.

Hands down, Zepeto is my favourite metaverse to visit when it comes to diverse worlds, gameplay and, of course, digital fashion. A virtual library of gowns, skirts, denim jackets, cowboy boots, glittering angel wings and more are all available at my fingertips. But with such a choice comes a certain identity crisis: How will I represent myself in this space? How do I want to be perceived? And how does clothing help me portray this message?

Enter Lyss, a Zepeto slash Decentraland style icon I was fortunate enough to meet on Instagram (how very un-web3 of me). She answered many of my self-probing questions about digital representation in the metaverse through her colourful creativity when it comes to curating her virtual looks. 

Lyss was even so kind as to airdrop me a few of her shiny garments, hairstyles and earrings to my Decentraland backpack to help a digital fashion friend out (I was looking rather drab in the standard closet wearables). If that is anything to go by, it shows her depth and kindness as not only a participant in these online worlds but as a true advocate of web3 culture which is community, empowerment and just plain niceness. 

Lyss is from Canada and describes herself as a digital entrepreneur. She is a creative in the truest sense of the word, with her work ranging from 3D printing to graphic designing, plus English to French translation on the side. 

“I love storytelling through photos and video edits, and tend to view life through a cinematic lens,” Lyss says. “While I have a degree in French Studies, I’ve spent most of my life working in tourism in order to travel to new destinations and be immersed in different cultures.”

Digital fashion has become a major source of inspiration for Lyss. Although the digital fashion space is still in its infancy, Lyss realises its massive potential and envisions herself as a key figure in shaping its future. 

“My goal is to continue to grow with the evolution of digital fashion,” she says. “While there are already some digital avatars on the fashion scene, I’d love to have the opportunity to be a digital fashion stylist/model as more designers (big and small) find their way into the space.”

As Lyss started to collect wearables for her meta wardrobe, particularly for Decentraland, she saw this as an opportunity to recognise the creators behind these garments by giving them special mentions in her posts. 

“I think user-generated content can be invaluable for designers and I wanted to contribute to the community by showcasing their talents,” she says.

I can recall one such instance of this when I DMed Lyss about an exceptionally talented digital designer Helen Do. Helen had recently created a couple of garments on Zepeto for the first time and I let Lyss know. She literally went and purchased a gorgeous printed digital dress Helen had made to showcase her support for budding talent (I mean, the dress is stunning). 

Speaking of which, for Lyss, Zepeto is one of her go-to metaverse given the utility and versatility of the platform. And she breaks down the core of the online universe pretty well, I might add. 

“Zepeto uses in-game currency for purchases, which can either be earned by completing daily quests or purchased with fiat,” she explains. “It can be played on mobile, tablet or PC/Mac. I love this app because I don’t have to spend money in order to be a collector.”

“With the daily coin allowance, it doesn’t take long to save up for the items on your wishlist. Zepeto offers an extensive marketplace including both big brands and small creators, with new drops happening every few days. The quality of the avatar appearance and the emote animation has me hooked.” 

“As a fashion enthusiast, I love the range of model poses they have available. With new poses/dances being dropped daily, it’s a fantastic creative outlet that consistently encourages new content.”

That’s another aspect of Zepeto I enjoy. It enables users like myself and Lyss to easily create engaging content. There is so much variety in the lighting, backgrounds, sounds and poses, it’s difficult to not get addicted.

Decentraland is another meta-universe Lyss enjoys hanging out in. Her digital pack back is filled with shiny wearables, from glowy crowns to v-neck gowns. 

“Decentraland also uses its own currency called Mana, which is a cryptocurrency token. This means you need to transfer your fiat into crypto in order to purchase items from the marketplace,” Lyss explains. “This also means that the value of your items can fluctuate with the value of the token, which comes into play as you have the ability to resell your items on a secondary marketplace.” 

“You can also use Mana to purchase plots of land on the Decentraland map, allowing owners to create their own galleries, shopfronts and music venues. I love Decentraland for the fierce community spirit, the intimate music experiences and the strong sense of support for small creators.”

Zepeto has recently introduced a collab with DressX and the pieces in that collection are incredibly unique to the typical style of clothes found on the platform. Lyss is amped to try on the range of items and curate them according to her personal style. 

“They recently released a line in collaboration with influencer/creator Monica Quin. There’s a green “forest sprite” dress that I grabbed because it reminded me of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Lyss says. “I’ve been working on recreating some beautiful vintage outfits I wore in a recent photoshoot, so that’s been a lot of fun. I’m excited to reveal them!”

Beyond styling, Lyss recently modelled in Metaverse Fashion Week 2022, which was held in Decentraland for the very first time earlier this year.

“I had the honour of walking in KidSuper’s Flying Bird Pants. His whole line was pretty funky,” Lyss says. “I also have to shout out designers Soultry Dubs, GoldiLox and Doki3D who are keeping the ladies looking fine.” 

“I also spent quite a bit of time over winter hosting events in Decentraland with the Babydolls - in particular, the Absolutland x Coachella event was an incredible experience to be a part of - a true community effort! I had the pleasure of working with Erick Sermon and Def Squad Meta on their first Decentraland event, which was pretty unreal as I grew up listening to them.”

Digital fashion in general has sentimental value to Lyss. It allows her, like many others (including myself), to own garments, jewellery and accessories that aren’t readily available to us in the real world. And perhaps I wouldn’t even be brave enough to wear.

“IRL I still wear hand-me-downs I got 10 years ago and don’t currently own any heels,” Lyss explains. “Meta.Lyss has a closet full of clothes I could only dream of wearing. I’ve been inspired by digital fashion because of its versatility, sustainability, and inclusivity. 

“I may not be able to go to the grocery store IRL as a Disney villain or fairy princess but I can be whatever I want to be on my digital fashion socials. It’s a beautiful pathway to self-expression and I’m so grateful for it!”

There’s a quote if I’ve ever seen one.

Connect with Lyss on Instagram here and TikTok here.