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LEANNE ELLIOTTYOUNG
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER INSTITUTE OF DIGITAL FASHION
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IoDF was birthed as a democratic tool for change to use emerging technologies to empower individuals; we believe in a future beyond seasons, beyond binaries, and beyond the limits of your imagination.”
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n the ever-evolving digital fashion landscape, one woman stands out as a guiding light of innovation, inclusivity, and positive disruption. That woman is Leanne Elliott-Young, co-founder and CEO of the Institute of Digital Fashion (IoDF). A selfstyled ‘Metaverse Mama,’ Leanne has, in the span of just a few years, positioned IoDF as a significant player in the global fashion industry, challenging existing norms and shaping the digital fashion landscape of the future. Leanne won and was named No.1 Women in Web3 at the Women in Tech Europe Awards and is a mentor for the Farfetch x Outlier Ventures Dream Assembly Base Camp. She/ IoDF is partnered with the Swedish Fashion Council, CLO, and sits on the committee as a board member at 50m, AUCart, Soho House, Young Women’s Trust, and Her Stories. Her string of accolades includes being ranked amongst Vogue Greece’s Changemakers,
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Vogue Business’ 100 Innovators: Web3, Vogue Poland’s Global Vogue Leader list, The Futures Lab’s ‘Top 100 Innovators,’ and Vogue Singapore’s Brytehall Top 100 Web3 Talent. Leanne’s clients include Meta, Condé Nast, Vogue Italia, Calvin Klein, PVH, H&M, Tomorrow Group, Prada, Balenciaga, Depop, Adidas, Browns, Decentraland, Clo3d, Daz3d, Snap Inc., BMW, Absolut, Pernod Ricard, British Council, Frieze Art Fair, Soho House Group, Selfridges Group, Barbican, and Dr. Martens.
The Democratic Web3 “For us, technology is the backbone of our practice. But, we also do not want it to be center stage,” says Leanne. She focuses on using technology as a democratic tool for change, centering on core principles of diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and innovation. The IoDF’s approach to emerging technology is not merely a sales or publicity gimmick. It is a vehicle for meaningful and enduring transformations. “Tech isn’t the lead conversation for sales or publicity but a tool to do more, expand the breadth and depth of creativity, promote traceability, and applaud the authors by royalties and more economic stability.” Leanne sees in web3 a unique opportunity to rewrite the rules and create a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable fashion landscape. “Web3 presents us with the unique opportunity to throw out all the old rules which no longer serve us and to create an infrastructure which allows everyone to see themselves represented and to make work which is conscious of the planet,” she says. Her vision of web3 includes structures and platforms designed to last, that go beyond fleeting PR moments to enact significant, lasting changes in the infrastructure of the fashion industry.
Impacting Everyone IoDF’s focus on digital diversity and inclusion ensures that “anyone and everyone” feels represented in web3. “IoDF was birthed as a Democratic tool for change to use emerging technologies to empower individuals; we believe in a future beyond seasons, beyond binaries, and beyond the limits of your imagination,” believes Leanne. The inclusivity extends to non-binary individuals as well, with IoDF partnering with Daz3D to create the world’s first nonbinary avatar. “IoDF uses web3 platforms to create inclusive communities; we use our position as key stakeholders and speakers in the industry to 1
produce our diversity and inclusion white paper and highlight the voices who feel underrepresented; we used our activation at the Oscars 2023 and LFW to push sustainability action, asking ‘At the End of the World Do You Need More Clothes?’” states Leanne. “It’s all about intention: we all have the power to use this tech however we want. We’re hoping people choose a way to lift the collective up.” There’s no more remarkable example of this than IoDF’s creation of the world’s first nonbinary avatar, Catty 8.1, and a pregnant digital double of Leanne, Leanne 8.1. These have pushed the boundaries and shifted the dialogue to representation – not characterization – when creating in the Metaverse. It feeds directly into the core pillars of IoDF, exploring expressions of identity in an increasingly digital world. “Cattytay and I founded IoDF to re-frame the system, drive innovation through our practice, and rewrite and restructure a broken system,” shares Leanne. “IoDF creates spaces for marginalized communities to thrive and be represented.”
The Power of Ownership One of the most compelling aspects of Leanne’s vision for the future is her belief in the transformative power of technology. “The real opportunity for the Metaverse is ownership: to be able to buy, trade, sell your assets without a middle man, and exit the horror of the attention economy.” This shift from the attention economy to one where users control and profit from their data and creations offers a more egalitarian model for the digital fashion industry and beyond. Leanne sees the potential for blockchain technology to fundamentally transform global financial infrastructures, particularly in developing countries. “All you need is a blockchain and a wallet to earn. Your office is the internet. Global democratization becomes more possible,” she says. By fostering peer-to-peer transactions without needing an intermediary, blockchain facilitates a more decentralized and equitable economic landscape. IoDF aims to help new audiences adapt to this new era of the internet, bringing the fashion industry into a new growth trajectory that puts the people and the planet first. She explains: “We are in a unique position where there is the opportunity to shape corporate and creative infrastructures to reflect the values and sentiments of the moment. And what we will all create probably won’t be perfect immediately,
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but we can move in the right direction: towards a creator- and consumer-first economy.”
norm to your hands and your neighbor’s hands alike. IoDF is an emblem for change.”
A Journey of Innovation
Her mantra: “Keep pushing, keep forcing people to question the existing systems and how we can build a better one,” underpins her approach to business and life. Leanne’s vision of the future is one where technology is used not as a gimmick but as a means of driving real change, fostering inclusion and diversity, and promoting sustainability.
Leanne’s journey has been marked by a spirit of innovation and disruption. From her initial gig at Nike, where she saw the power of brands to create belief systems, to her co-founding of IoDF, Leanne has constantly striven to challenge the status quo. She strongly believes in the power of community and inclusion, reflecting these values in all her endeavors. “Humans are naturally skeptical of change, and web3 is realistically proposing some big changes,” Leanna shares. “Part of that fear comes from a feeling of confusion or being powerless in the change. We are striving to bring back control, to share equity, and to make the change that we want. The Metaverse is that: it brings the power of reinventing the
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Much like her ethos, Leanne’s message to the world is powerful in its simplicity: “At the end of the world, do you need more clothes?” It is a call to action, a challenge to the consumer culture that dominates the fashion industry, and a testament to her unwavering belief in the power of technology to create a better, more inclusive, and sustainable future.
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