The World of Metaverse Influencers

In October 2021, Facebook re-branded itself as Meta, and it was a big development in the world of technology and will be seen as an introduction to a world connected in the metaverse.

The metaverse is developing quickly as we go about our daily lives. Platforms such as Decentraland let people buy virtual land and create anything from a virtual house to a city. In fact, Decentraland hosted the first-ever Metaverse Fashion Week (MVFW) in March, and several well-known fashion and accessories brands, both legacy and digital-first, offered their new collections. Iconic luxury fashion brands such as Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga, and Burberry are increasing their visibility in the metaverse to ensure they have an influential presence in the virtual universe when it gets more defined. And with fashion comes influencers.

According to Virtual Humans, a website tracking virtual influencers across platforms, there are more than 150 virtual influencers on social media.

Most of the famous virtual influencers exist only on Instagram, and most of them are human-like in appearance. They are drawn to such fine details that many often confuse them with real people. They also share things that real people do, like eating out, skateboarding and shopping, and they promote some of the world’s biggest brands.

Lil Miquela

The most famous virtual influencer is Lil Miquela, who appeared on Instagram in April 2016 and has three million followers today. Miquela is presented as a 19-year-old girl who would never age and was named by TIME magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential People on the Internet in 2018.

Miquela was created by a Los Angeles-based start-up Brud, and she is presented as a half-Brazilian, half-Spanish person from Downey, California, who is pursuing her music dreams in Los Angeles. She gained popularity because of the promotion of the major fashion labels, including Prada, virtually appeared at Coachella, supported the Black Lives Matter movement, and has been virtually photographed with celebrities such as Diplo and Millie Bobbie Brown among others. In 2019, Miquela made headlines when she kissed Bella Hadid in a Calvin Klein advertisement.

Kyra

Kyra is India’s first virtual influencer. She is introduced as a 22-year-old woman from Delhi who loves traveling and modeling. She is doing photoshoots at beaches and monuments, such as Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. Also, she can be seen in the photos enjoying delicious meals and practicing yoga.

The virtual influencer was created by TopSocial India in March and has since witnessed her follower count rapidly climb to 100K. As a fashion model designed for the virtual world, Kyra attended the MVFW held from 24-27 March 2022 on Decentraland.

Shudu

Shudu, another famous virtual influencer, was created as part of the #BalmainArmy of virtual models by Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing and designed by British photographer Cameron-James Wilson.

Shudu is from South Africa and made her debut in 2017. Known for promoting brands, she shot to fame when Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty posted her photo on their Instagram account, mistaking her for a real person trying out a Fenty product. She describes herself as ‘The World’s First Digital Supermodel’ and is indeed designed to be a supermodel.

Noonoouri

Noonoouri is the creation of Joerg Zuber, founder of the creative agency Opium Effect. She is cartoony, a 19-year-old fashionista hailing from Munich, Germany. And she’s living the dream—only she’s not real. She has worked with most of the top brands in the fashion industry and continues to wow consumers with her unique look. Noonoouri balances her platform between social good and promotion. She’s vegan, advocates for sustainable fashion, and refuses to wear furs while making countless cameos with fashion brands all around the world. Noonoouri is loved by Kim Kardashian West and Dior.

Rozy Oh

Rozy Oh is one of the best-known Asian metaverse influencers on social media and South Korea’s first virtual influencer. Media company Sidus Studio X created her and introduced her in 2020. Her full name means ‘one and only’ in Korean. Her fans call her ‘GamSeong JangIn,’ which is Korean for ‘expression expert.’ This is because she makes a range of facial expressions and strikes poses for her followers. She has posed with Korean celebrities and sportspersons and also modeled for international labels such as Calvin Klein.

Lucy

Lucy is a South Korean virtual influencer created by Lotte Home Shopping for the promotion of its products.

According to the South Korean retail brand, Lucy is “forever 29 years old.” Her flawless skin, long hair, perky nose, and slender jaw define Lucy’s appearance. However, as the brand’s representative says, Lotte didn’t design her to be a “pretty image” the company declares that Lucy has a personality of her own and a background story in which she is presented as an industrial designer involved in designing cars.

Daisy and Maya

Daisy is a creation of the online luxury discount site Yoox. Daisy is from Milan, Italy, and is presented as living a high life.

Modeled after actress Hannah Gross, Daisy has appeared in numerous campaigns, most notably of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

And Maya, a creation of Puma and debuted in 2020, is a self-described fashion model. ‘Your average not-so-average Southeast Asian Virtual Girl,’ is written in her bio on Instagram. She was the one who launched the Puma Rider shoe.