Daniella Loftus
Founder of Draup and This Outfit Does Not Exist
Daniella (Dani) Loftus is a digital fashion entrepreneur and commentator who founded This Outfit Does Not Exist in 2021 and launched the digital fashion platform Draup in April 2023. She became one of the best-known voices explaining digital and generative fashion to the industry.
| Role | Founder of Draup and This Outfit Does Not Exist |
|---|---|
| This Outfit Does Not Exist | Launched 2021 |
| Draup | Launched April 2023 |
| Focus | Digital and generative fashion |
Who is Daniella Loftus?
Daniella Loftus, often known as Dani Loftus, is a founder and writer focused on digital fashion: garments that exist only as digital assets, for use in images, games, virtual worlds or online identities. She launched This Outfit Does Not Exist in 2021 because, as she has explained, there was almost no content available that explained what digital fashion was or what it promised. The newsletter and content platform aimed to inform readers and increase media coverage of the sector.
Career
Loftus began her career in blockchain-based fintech straight after university. She later worked in innovation, and her background also includes philanthropic work and investment advisory. Alongside her professional roles she wrote science fiction, which fed her interest in digitally native worlds and identities. She also created a zine, The Lost i, exploring the digital fashion world.
In April 2023 she launched Draup, a digital fashion platform that set out to:
- Sell ownable digital fashion from curated designers and digital artists
- Let users display pieces in virtual wardrobes
- Allow holders to earn through resale, rental and wear-to-earn features
- Release generative collections in which each piece is unique but shares algorithmic elements
Its inaugural collection featured work by the digital artist Nicolas Sassoon. Loftus described the idea as bringing code to couture, working with digital artists in a way comparable to how couture houses work with their ateliers.
Influence on the fashion business
Loftus has argued that digital fashion is not opposed to couture but a natural evolution of it, emphasising artistry and personalisation. Her writing helped brands and media understand a fast-moving segment that combined fashion, gaming, NFTs and virtual identity, at a time when many luxury and sportswear companies were experimenting with digital collections.
Daniella Loftus and technology
Her work sits at the intersection of fashion and digital technology: blockchain ownership, generative design created with code, and virtual wardrobes. Draup's generative collections are an example of algorithmic design applied to fashion objects, with each collector receiving a unique variation.
Why it matters
For brands exploring digital products, Daniella Loftus is a reference voice on how digital fashion can be framed as creative work rather than a gimmick. Her projects document an experimental phase of fashion technology whose lessons on digital ownership, identity and generative design remain relevant as AI reshapes how fashion imagery is created.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Daniella Loftus?
Daniella (Dani) Loftus is a digital fashion entrepreneur who founded the content platform This Outfit Does Not Exist in 2021 and launched the digital fashion platform Draup in April 2023.
What is Draup?
Draup is a digital fashion platform launched by Loftus in April 2023 to sell ownable digital fashion from curated designers and artists. It offered virtual wardrobes and features for resale, rental and wear-to-earn.