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Los Angeles modelling agency Photogenics is launching an avatar division, giving brands talent to work with in the metaverse that’s a departure from past iterations of digital-only personalities. All avatars are based on models currently signed to the agency, and act as their “alternate egos” for the metaverse.
Photogenics created the avatars via 3D scans of models’ faces, while their bodies were rendered from scratch. They were also given unique voices and styles to keep them “feeling real”, says Photogenics CEO Nicole Bordeaux. The models worked with Nina Hawkins, designer and founder of Lilium Labs, on their avatar appearance, including what features, clothing and accessories they would and would not be comfortable with for their virtual counterparts. Some of the models chose to reflect reality, while others took more creative liberties with their appearances; models are also able to decide if and when to update their avatars as they age and change. There are currently 13 models on the roster with more in the works.
Photogenics models are available for metaverse-based shoots, drops, wearables, events and other modelling jobs. Brands pay to licence out the avatar models for metaverse campaigns for a given period of time. Photogenics transfers an NFT with a built-in burn period, at the end of which the proof of licence expires. The client licence agreement specifies rates and usage, however, Photogenics has not disclosed how profits will be split, or how models will be paid, only that the division is a partnership between all parties and may depend on the project. Through the agency, brands can also employ Hawkins to digitise their designs and dress the models. Designer and Horizon Lab founder Sage Morei, who made the promotional film for this first group of avatars, is also available to create video campaigns.
Bordeaux says she doesn’t want the industry to “fall to computer-generated talent”, and hopes that Photogenics’s approach avoids the trappings of impersonal virtual characters. She hopes to achieve this by developing avatar personas that mirror models’ “real live selves” including “what they believe in and what they stand for”, Bordeaux says. Timmu Tõke, CEO and co-founder of avatar platform Ready Player Me, also points to the possibility for models’ avatars to express different parts of their personalities in the digital space than they might in the physical world, making them more dynamic.
Avatars and virtual characters have become a critical element of virtual worlds. Already, brands have partnered with avatars of famous personalities — both existing and fictional — to wear their designs. Lil Miquela, also known as Miquela Sousa, is perhaps the most well-known virtual influencer, having partnered with brands including Calvin Klein (with Bella Hadid) and Pacsun. Gucci has created avatar versions of creative director Alessandro Michele and Miley Cyrus for Roblox; Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci have partnered with fictional celebrities from company Superplastic, whose characters will walk a virtual Tommy fashion show this New York Fashion Week. LVMH created a fictional ambassador named Livi to be the face of all the group’s innovation strategies; while Burberry dressed a computer-generated version of Kendall Jenner in a 2020 ad campaign. Balmain hired three CGI models from avatar agency The Diigitals in 2018.
Digital models have both raised questions and invited controversy regarding what they can do that traditional models cannot, and how developers can ethically create digital avatars, particularly in the context of race and gender representation. Past debates have highlighted the necessity for brands to consider diversity not only in the features they include in their avatars, but in the the creators they employ behind the scenes.
The use of a diverse group of existing models helps to address concerns about tokenism and virtue signalling, and is more reminiscent of existing figures capitalising on metaverse opportunities. “We’ve had artists and celebrities create their avatars on Roblox to be able to engage with our global community and extend their personal brand into new social spaces where culture and trends are being shaped,” says Christina Wootton, VP of global partnerships at Roblox. Here, models have the opportunity to do the same.
However, the Photogenics models’ ability to select their traits does open up conversations around the ethics of flattering AR filters and the ease of augmentation, inviting potential confusion around what’s real and what’s fantasy. How avatars replicated from real people are used in virtual environments will also need to be closely monitored, says Megan Vendemia, assistant professor at Chapman University’s School of Communication, as manipulation could raise problems similar to deep fakes.
Photogenics’s Bordeaux says she plans to include a more diverse array of body shapes and sizes as more of the agency’s models have the opportunity to enter the metaverse, to better reflect the makeup of the physical agency. “The diversity is already there,” says Bordeaux. Having digital counterparts could also have potential significance for models’ careers, giving them more ways to bring in revenue. If, for example, a model gets pregnant, so can their avatar, or a pregnant model might elect to leave their avatar as is to continue working in the metaverse.
“In the real world, models often get booked based on their personalities,” says Photogenics creative director Melanie deJesus. “That’s why building up a personality will be important in the future when you can interact with these avatars. I think clients will really value that,” she says. This also played into Pacsun’s decision; president Brieane Olson described Miquela as a “natural fit” based on her existing personality, which was created by LA-based Brud (and has since been acquired by Dapper Labs).
Alongside the development of more diverse models, Photogenics envisions building further metaverse activations, such as NFT projects and more 3D designer engagements. And while, with current technology available, the models will be licensed primarily for campaigns in the near future, the agency doesn’t rule out future gaming or metaverse partnerships.
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