The one thing I love most about digital fashion is its unpredictability. The fact that you can be anyone from anywhere and make your mark on this emerging industry is what true equality looks like (for me, at least). And this is where INJURY, the creative fashion house, fits in.
I first noticed them at Crypto Fashion Week which took place earlier this year and was completely taken aback by their Meta Spume Gown (shown further down). The colour palette, detailed digital patterns and seamless flow of the animation blew my mind. Seriously.
Their founding member Eugene Leung, and Creative Director, was originally trained as an architect and has now made history, along with his Brand and Design Director Dan Tse, by being host to the very first hybrid fashion show (more on that in a bit).
For this particular fashion house, the term “creative” extends beyond just garments and graphic design, but seeps into music, film and multimedia too. Naturally, I am enthralled by this concept and Cupid’s digital arrow struck, leaving me less injured and more enticed.
Homegrown talent
Eugene grew up in Australia where he studied architecture. But besides that: “I am also a self-taught musician, music composer, cult-film fan and toy collector,” Eugene says.
Possessing creative status is more than just expressing one’s own ideas via a specific medium for an audience to experience and revel in. It’s about questioning the norm and understanding our place within it all - something that resonates with Eugene and Dan.
“I love to question everything,” Eugene says. “For example, it’s about questioning the role of myself as a creative within the world (both digital and physical) as well as the purpose of my creations.”
“My wish is to create an experience-driven brand that takes on the macrocosm idea, to create special experiences for our audience through multiple mediums of products, narratives and events, like CG films, comics, music and VR experiences. We believe everyone should be proud of their identity. I’d love to create a brand that helps people build and shape their identity through designs and creativity.”
In 2004, INJURY was formed and mainly took the shape of a hobby that was more graphic design-based, such as designing graphics for T-shirts and murals, given that Eugene was working full-time.
“After the first two seasons, we saw good business growth with INJURY, so we moved forward and worked on it full-time. Thus, we produced our full menswear fashion collection. We then joined Melbourne Fashion Week for the first time in 2005,” Eugene says.
“I guess I could compare the most defining feature of the brand to an Amoeba. We keep evolving, questioning and finding answers without ever stopping. And we like to surprise ourselves with whatever result we get from each collection.”
Bridging two worlds
Despite digital fashion not necessarily being INJURY’s core focus when initially starting out, it turned out to be a rather critical piece of the puzzle when entering the 3D space.
“As a fashion brand and art house creating fashion, music, film and art for both physical and digital worlds, initially, we intended to use 3D modelling and digital avatars to create a MV for our music release,” Eugene says. “So, naturally, we went on to create digital fashion for the characters.”
“As we started to build more and more digital clothing and accessories for the characters, we decided to dive all-in and make a digital collection. We like the idea that it is a waste-free way to experiment with fashion.”
INJURY’s initial fashion collections debuted on physical runways in Australia, Paris, New York, Beijing and Shanghai. Even with these shows being incredible experiences for the brand, it was time they took it one step further.
“We felt that for Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2021, it was time to challenge ourselves and create something different,” Eugene says. “Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt that new formats can stimulate our own creative development as well as bring a new perspective of what a fashion show format could be.”
“We have always been fascinated with the digital space, especially digital fashion and the metaverse. This desire to take part in this space soared even higher after we started curating and creative directing projects.”
The major pull for going completely digital with fashion collections is the sustainability aspect. This is a well-known trend and drawcard amongst independent designers and businesses.
In our current climate however, it goes bigger than a trend and is an actual necessity when creating fashion of the future.
“Our brand has always been looking into ways to make fashion more sustainable in terms of sampling and production, and we decided to make the sampling and lookbook process, as well as fashion show, entirely digital,” Eugene says.
“From there, we can gain consensus and customers order before we make any physical clothing, thus minimising waste. The rest of our collection is all made-to-order, so we eliminate all unnecessary samples.”
Making history; claiming epic status
INJURY recently put on a stellar show at Australian Fashion Week (AUSFW) 2022 and made history as the first-ever physical and digital collection to debut at a fashion week. My mind was blown, as well as so many others, at the depth and scope of the brand’s creative capabilities.
“The hybrid fashion show bridged the metaverse, music and live-motion capture, VR-controlled fashion character performances in Australia,” Eugene says. “One key moment was our collaboration with our friend and music group DeepFaith, who performed with a VR-controlled fashion avatar on screen, with our guests viewing INJURY’s digital collection in action on the LED screen.”
“And the second standout moment was that we had our otherworldly host present the NFT series release at the show and people were really excited to see these NFT artworks, coupled with digital dressing AR utilities showcasing at the fashion week.”
Diving a little deeper into the rationale behind the show at AUSFW 2022, I peeked at the essence of what the brand was trying to achieve with this creative choice of art form poised as a 3-way marriage between fashion, music and film.
The collection is called RARE REALITY INJURY 2022/23 and displays 8 avatars in a flamboyant multiverse. It comes together in a 3-minute CGI animation film.
“RARE REALITY references life on the metaverse. Inspired by Philip K Dick, the sci-fi fiction writer who wrote about alternate realities, illusory environments and altered states of consciousness, the collection is built on the macrocosm story of characters looking for human touch as they traverse through dreamscapes,” Eugene says.
“RARE REALITY uses the symbol of Yin and Yang to depict its original ancient philosophy that describes how contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world as well as how they complete each other.”
“Do we have to lose the sense of human touch in the metaverse? Can we maintain a balance between the digital and physical world like Yin and Yang?”
“The models are characters designed as hyper-humans, demonstrating power through the ACG-inspired (anime, comic, gaming) sub-culture whilst wearing a gender-neutral fashion collection. The pieces are enhanced classics with modern updates. My favourite looks are ‘STORGE’ and ‘AGAPE’, which show signature INJURY prints and symbology that speak to the origin of the five elements - wood, fire, earth, water and metal.”
Check out the full RARE REALITY collection here.
Future worlds
Next, INJURY has set sights on procuring its digital fashion experience at Afterplay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) 2022. “When we approach the physical event at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022, we want to bring new experiences to our guests that are more than fashion,” Eugene says.
“The main thing is to showcase our second CGI fashion film ‘Rare Realty’ on this massive 18 metre-wide LED screen, which we collaborated with REAL PARENT on - the CG Art collective who created the CG animation and the music track ‘Rare Reality’.”
Taking these ideas, concepts and visions that extra step further is what sets INJURY apart. It’s not just about this season, the next or the one after. It’s about going further than just the garments at a fashion show. It’s about crafting an entire experience within fashion, art and beyond.
They practically disregarded the traditional idea of a fashion show (including runway) at AUSFW 2022 when showcasing their digital collection, going so far as to collaborate on curating the music and entire visual representation of the show. Yet still, they delve deeper into metaverse thought and potential when it comes to expressing their brand.
“We see the digital world as way more than just a simulation,” Eugene says. “It is a space that will eventually develop into a whole new dimension with totally different physics and forms - visually, ideologically and philosophically. Thus, we are expected to see more and more previously unseen formats of art and culture take shape in the 3D space.”
INJURY’s insight into the value of merging the metaverse with other traditional art forms is what transcends this brand into otherworldly status. They are not pushing the boundaries of fashion experiences but rather trailblazing a path for those of the future to be inspired enough to leave their own creative marks on history too.
There are a couple more things INJURY shared with me which I thought were pretty awesome. Their original logo and campaign graphic is a silhouette of a vampire’s face and teeth. It was made from Eugene’s friend’s student portrait which they randomly chose.
The second: “On our swing tag, one of the hands is a scan of my Aunt’s hand,” Eugene says. “It even shows her wedding ring.”
From micro to macro, INJURY has an unparalleled intricacy and personality within digital fashion, web3, metaverse and beyond. And I cannot wait to see what they do next.
Connect with INJURY on Instagram here and Twitter here. Check out their website here.