As kids, our parents scolded us to get off of computer games and do our homework. Now, some students have to hop on Roblox to start it. As a generation of students are learning to navigate developments in technology and AI — such as the release of ChatGPT and Google Gemini — some students are learning to use games like Roblox, an online gaming platform that allows users to program and play games, as part of their actual schoolwork.Â
Students at Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College, a top fashion school in Japan, used the game to show their innovative clothing designs for their digital graduation showcase. Bunka is the second school after the Parsons School of Design in New York City to have its students present physical and digital fashion on Roblox. Bunka had its first graduates of its Digital Fashion Program showcase their looks in collaboration with Roblox and the Dentsu Group.Â
The designs are available for millions of Roblox members to view and try on in a new immersive exhibit on Roblox. Users can try on the looks, vote for their favorites, and purchase and dress their avatars in the new digital fashions. Roblox, alongside Bunka and Dentsu, plan to support the students’ work at the 2025 Roblox Developers Conference in September 2025 and in fashion galleries worldwide.Â
Students utilized Roblox Studio, a 3D immersive content creation engine that provides creators with free tools to create and publish anything on Roblox, and to work on their collections of digital and physical designs. They also used layered clothing technology to design and publish digital creations that later inspired their physical works, all as part of the Bunka course.Â
In a press release shared with Her Campus, Sachiko Aihara, the college’s president, emphasized that Bunka graduates will be prepared to both sew and code clothes for future fashion brands. “Our goal is to give our students the advantage of being at the forefront of today’s trends where technology is democratizing how fashion is created and worn, and the growing scale of people’s connections and interactions in the digital world dictates trends and defines style both in the digital and physical worlds,” Aihara said.
According to Roblox research, over half of Gen Z Roblox community members said that styling their Roblox avatar is more important to them than their physical style, creating urgency for designers to have the necessary digital skills to keep up with the growth in consumer interest. The demand for digital design skills is real and present, with top fashion brands now looking to hire digitally-skilled designers.Â
“It’s wonderful that digital fashion on Roblox has grown so rapidly over the past decade, and now everyone from world-famous fashion brands to up-and-coming designers can find a user base to wear their looks,” said Winnie Burke, head of fashion and retail partnerships at Roblox. “Through this collaboration with Bunka Fashion College and Dentsu, we look forward to seeing the creative designs that many more program graduates can produce.”
Japan has a long history of leading fashion influence, blending modern street style and high fashion, and digital fashion design is just another development in its tradition.Â
“Tokyo is one of the world’s fashion capitals, and Japanese designers are known tastemakers,” said Burke. “We are seeing this in students’ works that millions of people can now wear on their avatars on Roblox, and we are excited for the next generation of designers in Japan to be creating with Roblox technology and in immersive spaces where millions of people connect and create together.”