If you want to catch up with what's happening in the fashion world on Second Life, check out Andrew LaVallee's Style &Substance column from today's Wall Street Journal.
It seems there is a booming fashion business in the virtual world:
Because Second Life creators own their products and can sell them, the game has attracted both professional and amateur designers, says Linden spokeswoman Catherine Smith. That has led to a thriving fashion scene that includes not just dressmaking but also jewelry, hair and even skin design, as people purchase the elements to create a look for their online alter egos. Selling virtual clothes to real people for their avatars can even be lucrative: In August, the 20 best-selling Second Life fashion designers generated a combined $140,466 in sales, Linden says.
"We found out pretty quickly that people loved owning things," Ms. Smith says, and many start by buying items for their avatars. "It's not surprising that fashion and hairstyles and skins are as attractive and as exciting and as valuable as they are, because it's part of individualizing" the appearance of a player's online persona.
And, brands like American Apparel, are building businesses that are driving revenue:
Raz Schionning, American Apparel's director of Web services, admits to some initial ambivalence about the Second Life store, which opened June 21. Many of the clothes sold in Second Life are on the racy, "Matrix"-inspired side. "I wasn't sure if the concept of selling T-shirts to that audience was going to fly at all," he says. Since then, though, the store has sold some 4,000 items, catering to players who want their avatars to dress as they do.