Young adults' adoption to fashion brands use of extended reality technologies such as Virtual Clothing

Abstract: Background: There is a noticeable digital shift in the fashion industry. COVID-19 Pandemic has acted as a great accelerator to the digital shift. Specifically retail is one of the industries that has grown more digitally oriented as a result of the global pandemic that hit the world in 2020 (Moneta & Sinclair, 2020). Extended reality technologies (XR) are major components of modern technologies. VR and AR, that fall under XR are being incorporated into the fashion media ecosystem, with the use of different applications (Silvestri, 2020). With the help of XR technology, virtual clothing was introduced to the consumers, which is the intersection of fashion and technology.  Purpose: In order to fill the gaps of literature, the purpose of this paper is to examine how young adults are adopting the brand’s use of extended reality technologies (XR), but specifically, their willingness to adopt virtual clothing.  Method: A qualitative approach was used which followed an interpretivist research philosophy. It included in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 participants aged between 20-35. The general analytical approach was used to analyze the collected data, and the empirical findings were discussed in relation to the frame of reference.  Conclusion: The findings suggest young adults' adoption to brands' use of extended realities, specifically Virtual clothing is limited due to the lack of knowledge about those technologies. However there are clear signs indicating that they would adopt it in the future if it becomes a norm.