The frontier between the real and virtual worlds is gradually eroding, inspiring a host of fashion designers. Inspired more than ever by the virtual world, fashion designers are now trying out new digital experiences, fusing reality and computer-generated images.

Augmented reality has taken on a new dimension over the years with an increasing number of imaginary Instagrammers. Like Kylie Jenner or other influential millennials, Brazilian avatar Lil Miquela posts a wealth of selfies, collaborates with luxury brands, promotes beauty products and creates her own tracks available on Spotify. With 1.7 million followers, Lil Miquela could therefore represent the future of influencers on social media. In 2018, Olivier Rousteing decided to showcase Margot, Shudu and Zhi, three virtual icons with perfect features. Up to then the creative director had championed diversity for models in the fashion industry. In a stranger and more disconcerting world, in the same year Balenciaga chose elastic virtual models without any backbone, who were able to endlessly contort themselves. Dior collaborated with the avatar Noonoouri and Louis Vuitton with Final Fantasy figures. The performance highlights exceptional progress in terms of computer-generated imagery and artificial intelligence. Notwithstanding the realisation that humans can become a bit dull and uninteresting in the light of flawless computer-generated physiques.