There’s a Richmond-based garment factory making clothes for the metaverse

Precision Design Group is giving the local fashion industry a platform in the metaverse.

Precision Design Group // Sevin Kasran

The fashion-focused NFTs give designers the opportunity to share their style with the digital world

You might not expect a 29-year-old garment factory to embrace the cutting-edge, complex technology of 2022 (most 29-year-olds I know dont even have TikTok), but that hasn’t stopped Precision Design Group.

The Richmond-based company has been pattern-drafting, cutting, sample-making and manufacturing for three decades. This week, Precision announced the addition of a digital wearable design service—translating physical designs into NFT products.

Precision Design Group NFT fashion for the metaverse

“Were offering our clients the ability to not only create physical versions of their products, but also digital ones for the metaverse,” says general manager Ben Christy. “Its pretty abstract, I know, but we are trying to make it a little bit easier and more digestible.”

Precision Design Group NFT fashion for the metaverse

The company launched this new service through a partnership with Vancouver-based Sevin Kasran, a brand thats been worn by the likes of comedian Kevin Hart and NBA player Malik Monk. Sevin Kasrans unique, often colourful looks make it an ideal candidate for metaverse fashion: its clothing (especially those trousers) is instantly recognizable. “The products arent cheap,” notes Christy—indeed, the trousers are US$650—so digital wearables “create an opportunity for people to represent the brand without actually having to spend that much.”

Precision Design Group NFT fashion for the metaverseSevin Nasran’s blue corduroy flannel in real life

How much the NFTs actually cost is up to the seller, not the manufacturer, but Christy explains that it could be a source of revenue or a fun freebie. “They can gift the products, create some kind of lottery, or sell them,” he explains. Clients may also use the virtual wares simply to create a sense of community (for example, giving everyone in the metaverse neighbourhood a pair of limited-edition sunglasses), Christy adds. Precision has a team of designers who support its clients in creating their digital fashion, but what they do with it is the clients choice.

Precision Design Group NFT fashion for the metaverseSevin Kasran’s blue corduroy flannel in the metaverse

Along with potentially breaking accessibility barriers, Christy praises digital wearables for their low carbon footprint. “There is no waste,” he stresses. “The only carbon byproduct is energy use, because all these products have to sit on a server somewhere—but youre not creating inventory that you might not sell. Digital inventory is better for the environment.”

According to Christy, Precision aims to be Canada’s first and only garment factory that creates both physical and digital products.”