This is a brilliant bit of mixed-reality art that explores the collision of virtual economies and real world labor. “10 Simple Steps to your very own Virtual Sweatshop with Telematic Manufacturing.”

Double Happiness Jeans is a Second Life sweatshot – simulated factory with interactive camping chairs – that interfaced with the production of Real Life jeans. Here’s how the New York Times described the premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

“The jeans are being shown and sold for the first time at Sundance, in a beta version. Customers tell the Invisible Threads staff the size and style of jean they would like, the instructions are sent to the virtual factory inside Second Life, where workers push buttons that generate an image. From that image, a pattern is created and sent to an industrial printer, made by Hewlett-Packard, which spits out the custom-printed canvas cotton patterns. The patterns are then cut and assembled on the spot (at a Sundance Festival venue, that is) with a glue gun and a little stitching for reinforcement. They cost around $35.

The margins are pretty good. The Invisible Threads ‘factory’ has sixteen workers, who are paid 200 Lindens an hour – about 90 cents, which is pretty good pay by Second Life standards. Factory workers are also granted 500 square meters of Second Life ‘land’ on which to build a house”

I wish I could have seen this in action! Such a great idea. Although it seems a bit outrageous now, it may in fact have been a peek at the future of consumer goods manufacturing. It also makes one think about the impact of virtual economies on the Real World.  US$1/hour is not a horrible wage in many parts of the world. The factory is still rezzed in SL in case you’d like to get a bit of practice for your future job in the virtual garment industry. :)