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- Computer-generated models and influencers have been materializing on social media over the last few years.
- Cameron-James Wilson is responsible for seven of them, which he created for his digital modeling agency The Diigitals.
- Shudu, who he calls the world's first digital supermodel, was inspired by his Princess of South Africa Barbie doll.
- People in the fashion and marketing industries are concerned that CGI models could be used to promote unhealthy body images, or take work away from real living models.
- But increasingly accessible CGI technology also opens up exciting avenues for 3D artists in the ever-changing fashion industry.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Cameron-James Wilson's biggest inspiration when designing Shudu, the world's first digital supermodel, was his Princess of South Africa Barbie.
"I was just following what I loved," he told Insider. "I wasn't thinking of the impact it would have."
Shudu is incredibly realistic, which is a testament to Wilson's skill in 3D art. When her image went viral on Facebook, then Instagram, it received thousands of comments speculating over whether she was a real person or not.
"It was all kind of organic," Wilson said. "It was never like I set out to make a model. It was just me following my artistic influences."
The influencer space has seen a massive influx of CGI characters in the last couple of years. Some, like lil Miquela, who has 1.6 million Instagram followers, are high profile — releasing music, "hanging out" with real celebrities, and even supposedly dating real human men.
Others, like imma.gram and Liam Nikuro, fly a bit more under the radar, slowly building large followings of people who may or may not realize they were, in fact, made on someone's computer.
Read more: Fake, computer-generated Instagram influencers are modeling designer clothes, wearing Spanx, and attending red carpet premieres
When done well, CGI images are so lifelike, it really is hard to tell at times. And right now, the decision to keep it ambiguous lies with the creator.
Wilson said he's made the decision to always be transparent about the fact Shudu isn't real. When he first started, he could gauge the quality of his work depending on how many people were duped. But when a brand started sending Shudu t-shirts, and truly believed she was trying them on, he knew he had to come clean.
"That was the point I knew this would be something people should be made aware of," he said. "It's quite frightening that technology has got to that point where people couldn't discern whether or not it was real."
Read more: An 84-year-old grandfather has become a highly fashionable Instagram influencer by modeling his grandson's clothes
The mystery behind a digital figure creates an interesting dilemma for ad regulation, because as it stands, CGI influencers don't have to abide by the same rules of the internet when it goes to #ad and #spon content. So if a digital model wears a label in their Instagram post, they don't necessarily have to disclose whether their creator was paid.
"The current advertising guidelines are very much focused on human influencers and there is no mention of CGI influencers," Jamie Love, the CEO of and founder of Monumental Marketing, told Insider.
"Brands could therefore benefit from this loophole to have their sponsored content appear more authentically in people's feeds."
You can make a CGI image look however you want
In the fashion industry, the most common concerns are what CGI models mean for job security — and for setting realistic body standards.
"In the case of Shuru in particular; a CGI creation by a white man of a black woman, who is booking fashion campaigns from under the noses of actual living, breathing women of color," Jo Bromilow, a digital consultant for Newgate Communications told Insider.
"It's exacerbating the competition in an industry that's already notorious for not being pro-diversity but being extremely pro-short term novelty."
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Wilson can only speak from his own experiences with his digital creations, and doesn't know how big brands and labels will use the technology in the future. But his digital modeling agency The Diigitals hires real people for many roles, including motion capturing.
"They have been very happy with the credit and payment they have received," Wilson said of the models he works with. "So if the models who help me create my art are happy with everything, they are the people I need to worry about."
There are several "muses" listed on The Diigitals website, including one model called Misty who Wilson said "stands in" for Shudu a lot.
"It has created a lot of opportunities for her," he said. "A lot of people speculate like this could be terrible for the modeling industry, but it's been two years and you can't really see any negative impact."
Even if some models did lose out in the future to digital designs, that would just mean more opportunities were created for 3D artists, he argued.
"At the end of the day, the art has been not very well recognized for many years, so to get the recognition in fashion is a big deal," he said. "And knowing the modeling industry, it's not a great industry. It puts a lot of pressure on people. So what would I rather be, a model or a 3D artist? I'd rather be a 3D artist."
Models think CGI influencers 'pose a threat'
Model and actress Jessica Markowski doesn't have such a positive outlook on the trend. She told Insider CGI models "pose a threat to our generation" because they might send public attitudes of what people should look like back in time.
"I think within the modeling industry, we have come a long way in accepting women and men in all colors, shapes, and sizes," she said. "As a society, we have been more accepting of body image and so CGI models are going to have everything go in a different and negative direction."
At New York Fashion Week, everyone has praised how models are starting to look diverse and inclusive, Markowski said, but also admitted photo editing and retouching is still a problem.
"However, I do think CGI models will make it that much worse for future generations to come," she said. "I think computer generated models are too perfect and unrealistic, which will as a result go against the body positivity movement and what viewers want in fashion."
Read more: 33 Instagram accounts to follow in 2019 that will actually make you feel good about your body
Model Talulah-Eve Brown, who was the first transgender contestant on "Britain's Next Top Model," had never heard of CGI models before looking them up on Instagram.
"OMG I am so shocked!" she told Insider over email. "Like initially I thought there's no way this trend would catch on, but after seeing first hand and seeing that these virtual models are verified and have millions of followers, it's worryingly becoming a popular niche."
Browne said she thinks CGI influencers are probably more satisfying to the younger generation who are "fanatical over this new trend."
"It's almost like their favourite cartoons are coming to life," she said.
'You can promote a stance of natural beauty from a position of fakeness'
The outlook for CGI models is not all doom and gloom.
While the image of Shudu was born from a Barbie doll, a toy which doesn't have the best reputation with body image, Wilson wanted to make sure his other designs represented a wider range of people with different looks and sizes.
That's why The Diigitals has a variety of models, including Bren, who has a curvier body shape and visible stretch marks.
"I wanted to show that 3D models aren't all about Barbies and they can represent reality," he said. "I want people to feel included in that space."
One of Wilson's more ambitious designs is called Galaxia, who looks a bit like one of the blue aliens from Avatar, which shows there really is no limit to what a character can look like.
"If you don't like my models, you can create your own," Wilson said.
"In order to create diversity you need a lot of diverse people. And if I can inspire people to create 3D models that will be in all shapes and sizes, I think that's a better way to look at it than trying to please everyone when you're just one person."
Trying to speak for the entire industry is, of course, a bit overwhelming.
It could be argued that the fashion industry is in such a polarized state at the moment, it's hard to keep up with what people want. On the one hand the public are asking for more inclusivity, and on the other, they still worship images of celebrities that have been heavily edited with Photoshop and Facetune.
Shudu is more natural in appearance, Wilson said, as she doesn't wear tons of makeup and her hair is short and untouched. He's also adjusted her body proportions over the years to make her look more realistic.
"Although she is completely fake, there is this natural and authentic look to her," he said. "So I still think you can promote a stance of natural beauty from a position of fakeness ... That's how I feel about it, other people might have different opinions."
CGI could change how the fashion industry works
CGI in fashion could also take the industry in many new and exciting directions. For instance, Wilson was able to work with a model who lives in Australia — something that would have been impossible at the start of his career when he was living and working from a shed in his mother's garden.
"I created a digital double of her and had her pose next to Shudu, and people couldn't really tell who was real and who wasn't," he said. "It allows Shudu to model with someone half way across the world who might not have the opportunity to come to me. I definitely couldn't, at the time, afford to go to Australia."
3D design could also replace the more traditional processes of making sketches and samples, which are wasteful and can take months at a time.
"With 3D programs you can cut that down to weeks or even a couple of days which is huge," he said. "You don't have to make all the samples and all the mockups. It cuts millions of tons of fabric waste. It's going to be amazing, but it's only just starting to be adopted."
Read more: 10 models who are breaking barriers in the fashion industry
There are also some potentially innovative applications for customers, like being able to digitally dress yourself up in clothing before buying it. People may be able to add designer labels to their Instagram shots without having to actually spend thousands on their look or relying on fast fashion.
"I think the next couple of years is definitely going to be a real changing of an industry," Wilson said. "It's going to be a total revolution in fashion. It's going to be almost like when photography was digitized; it's going to be that much of a transition."
CGI models mean 'total creative freedom'
For Wilson, it's not about partnering up with big brands or getting Shudu into the fashion magazines. His real passion is telling the stories of his characters and making sure they are kept to a certain standard. Because of this, he can't see himself letting go of the creative control of The Diigitals any time soon.
"Most of tech is based around scalability and selling this to every person on the planet," he said. "But I think you can have great success doing the complete opposite — there's something to be said for exclusivity."
He barely has enough time to devote to the few characters he has, "let alone if I was making a hundred of them," he said.
Leaving photography behind and designing 3D art was Wilson's chance to build something that was entirely within his control, which the increasing accessibility and affordability of CGI technology that made possible.
"The one thing I hate about photography is everyone makes you feel like you need them — hairstylists, makeup artists, art directors, stylists," he said. "I want something that's me, not me through the eyes of someone else."
Whereas a few years ago it would cost thousands to work on a specialized program, artists can now use DAZ 3D — the program Shudu was created on — in their own homes.
Wilson thinks this is an exciting avenue for many other artists who are struggling in the industry right now to take advantage of, both with finding work and with creating something they love.
"Creating Shudu, it was all up to me," he said. "I could get her hair to be this way or that way and it was my decision. There's no outside influence in it and that's what I really like about it — the creative freedom."
Read more: This artist morphs celebrities' faces together to create perfect hybrids — here are some of his favorites
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