METROPOLIS
What potential does the metaverse hold for Fetishists who thrive on emotion and personal experimentation? How do we make digital Fetish fashion personal, human, empowering and self-aware? 
Today's fashion and Fetish creatives are discovering innovative ways to digitally upgrade. From avatars and digital garments to fashion shows in the metaverse and kinky virtual worlds like RD Land, the possibilities are endless. We're also seeing a futuristic Fetish style trending across ad campaigns and music videos. 
The iconic fashion photographer Nick Knight brought fashion into the future when he released ikon-1 with SHOWstudio in December. It starred and was co-produced with the polymath Jazzelle aka UglyWorldWide, who styled themselves in fashions by 30 rising digital fashion designers in a cohort of 2000 contributing creatives. The project produced 8,000 unique avatars and a series of collectable NFTs that championed free expression and undermined body and creative censorship- an issue concerning many Fetishists and digital artists. 
ikon-1's emphasis on artistic autonomy injected humanity into the metaverse and many of its contributing digital designers used fetishistic textures and imagery; taking them beyond the realms of objectification we often see in mainstream media. 
In this clip, Nick Knight talks about the mechanics behind ikon-1 and Fetish artist, Goth and DJ Parma Ham reveals that a new subculture influenced by Fetish, futurism and alien aesthetics is emerging at alternative club events.

Click here to watch the clip. 

"We're not simple beings, we're very complicated and very complex. So therefore, we can have more than one vision of ourselves and online, that you absolutely have that possibility. I think we're entering into a completely new cultural era. Which, of course, is like any huge shift in culture is very exciting, but also undefined." ~ Nick Knight 
"From skeletal organic forms to metallic body armour, some of the outfits in ikon-1 are particularly fetishist and take the surrealism of the underground club scene into the future. Using prosthetics, skeletal Fetish wear and robotic body armour, young Fetishists in clubs like Wraith and online are forging a gender fluid subculture defined by futuristic and alien aesthetics. 
Meanwhile, AI and VR artists like RD Land are designing abstract Fetish garments and avatars that expand representation for people who prescribe as Other. They extend people's sexual preferences and identities into categories and worlds which have not yet been explored or labelled. Like the Cyberpunks and Cybergoths of the late '80s, these surrealists are embracing advancing technology, merging it with Fetish and creating new sexualities, human and tech hybrids and alien tribes." ~ Raegan Rubin 
"I feel there's  a new subculture that's starting to take root. It's something quite post-human and sci fi in its styling, and definitely more diverse in gender, sexuality and race compared to a lot of past subcultures. It takes all the subcultures of yesterday, and just throws up this weird super subculture that's sci-fi and futuristic. It’s very PVC lead and freeing." ~ Parma Ham 

FEATURING
Nick Knight. Fashion Photographer & Founder of SHOWstudio
Parma Ham. Goth, Founder of Wraith, Fetish Artist & DJ 

Wax 
Isabella Josephine Leon. Animator

Body Morph II
Jáchym Bouzek. Animator

Social media clips 
Vampire Chinese. Makeup Artist
Cozmic Caz. DJ
Stickiiy. Artist

ikon-1. Cover image
SHOWstudio 

Body Morph I
Walking Clothes I
Jáchym Bouzek. Animator

Social media clips 
Sapiensii. Futuristic Fetish brand 
Vampire Chinese. Makeup Artist

DROME 
Joseph Delaney & Matt King. SORT Zine 
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