Destiny Wilson was always a maker, fashioning wallets from duct tape as a kid and designing the cover of her school yearbook. Then, at 15, she started putting her designs onto thrift-store sneakers. Three years later, Destiny, aka The Artvst, is busy delivering custom designs for sneakerheads, from kicks with colours inspired by old Nintendo games to a pair that reflected one customer’s obsession with Taco Bell.
Destiny’s designs are unique, but her business isn’t. In 2022, a growing number of artists will make a living crafting the ultimate in personalised products – goods whose unique decorations reflect both the buyers’ interests and the artists’ aesthetics.
Three years ago, I wrote on Medium about the rise of microbrands – tiny, design-centric companies that use social media to target a narrow niche of people just like you. This new trend is the logical extension of the microbrand – instead of buying products for people just like us, in 2022 we will increasingly buy products designed just for us.
For consumers, these customised goods are what I think of as a “cultural flex” – a statement about yourself across multiple channels, which goes beyond just showing off the trappings of wealth. A custom-designed shirt or bag doesn’t need to cost a lot, but it reflects your personality, style and values. It also gives you a fun way to support artists whose work you respect, both
through your commission and by exposing that artist’s work to your network of friends.
For artists, these goods are a great entry to the “creator economy”, the growing economic engine that is fuelled by individual creativity and craftsmanship. As artificial intelligence and machines take over more jobs, people will succeed based on the uniquely human trait of creativity. The growth of personalised goods is just one example of that shift in action.
Why will 2022 be a turning point for this trend? For one thing, creators increasingly have the power to skip huge platforms such as Amazon and connect directly with consumers through services like Shopify, Etsy, Behance or Society6. These artists are able to find their long-tail audience through the algorithmically honed feeds of social networks such as TikTok and Instagram. What these artists offer is attractive to consumers who are growing sceptical of the labour practices, environmental impact and commodified goods of big retailers.
The market for ultimate personalisation extends far beyond hand-painted shoes and, I believe, the physical world itself. Many people who buy a custom-designed pair of Air Jordans will want to wear them not just on a night out, but in their favourite game as well. So when they buy a physical good, they’ll also get a digital NFT version that is portable to any virtual space and proves that they are the owner.
More of us will become invested in our virtual presence within games and worlds and a metaverse powered by augmented and virtual reality. How we look, what we wear and what we carry in these spaces will be something we both create and curate. The art we use to craft our virtual selves will in many ways be the truest reflection of who we are, liberated more than ever from physical and financial constraints.
In 2022, what we choose, and who we choose to be, will enable us to be a more creative and unique version of ourselves.
Get more expert predictions for the year ahead. The WIRED World in 2022 features intelligence and need-to-know insights sourced from the smartest minds in the WIRED network. Available now on newsstands, as a digital download, or you can order your copy online.
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
