As we are all trying to navigate the Metaverse and the new concept of Web3 and virtual reality, luxury brands are realising how they too can explore this universe and take their businesses and interaction with consumers to the next level.
The new world of Web3 is allowing brands who of course are based on the concept of selling physical material products, to experiment with the idea of selling non-tangible items. This may at first feel like a strange concept to get your head around – the whole point of buying a fashion accessory is to carry it around with you right? Yes, right, however, the wider scope of investing in luxury products is exactly that: as an investment. So why does that investment have to be physical? You are buying into the universe of the brand, not just the products and brands are starting to use this to their advantage by experimenting with virtual concepts.
In March, the first Metaverse Fashion Week; hosted by Decentraland saw several international brands participating in virtual shows, presentations, after-parties, immersive experiences and shopping opportunities, all taking part within a fully-virtual world. This opened up the world to brands and consumers who are still navigating its concept. And then there are platforms such as Roblox, that allow brands to share their universes through virtual games that engage users, as well as opportunities for users to shop in virtual stores. Now, as brands are seeing the potential from this sector, some international luxury houses are starting to dip their toe into the Metaverse in new exploratory ways. We discover who is getting it right so far, and what more lies in the potential of this sector for luxury brands.
Gucci
Italian fashion house Gucci was one of the first to offer its consumers experiences in the digital world and is one of the most advanced in the development of its digital projects and content. In February of this year, Kering president and CEO François-Henri Pinault revealed that the company had created a team who are fully dedicated to working on web 3.0 activities.
Gucci which also has its own dedicated team began by presenting the digital version of its Gucci Garden on Roblox, which was followed by a partnership with Zepeto, allowing users to buy pieces of virtual Gucci clothing to dress their avatars. Then more recently, the brand launched a series of NFTs in collaboration with Superplastic. Based within the Gucci Vault platform an experimental concept store revolving around vintage Gucci pieces, the SUPERGUCCI collection features a colourful collection of characters that reflect the House’s latest collections and can be purchased by users.
The brand has promised to continue with its projects in the metaverse and is also offering users the opportunity to purchase virtual real estate within in gaming platform The Sandbox, as well as various partnerships with NFT owners and creators.
Louis Vuitton
In 2021 Louis Vuitton celebrated the 200th anniversary of its founder by launching a virtual game; Louis The Game. This mobile game was embedded with 30 NFTs and chronicled the journey of the house’s fashion mascot, Vivienne. Vivienne completes several tasks in a virtual world as it travels through the history of the brand and tries to find the 30 hidden NFTS created by artist Beeple throughout the land before levelling up to collect 200 candles to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Vuitton.
The game has so far amassed over two million downloads and has been updated with new locations and different types of outfits for Vivienne. Ten new NFT postcards were also created in collaboration with NFT designer Mike Winkelmann, Wenew Labs and Beeple, Louis Vuitton, along with Dior is expected to be one of the first LVMH Group brands to delve further into this world, reaching a new audience and embracing the virtual world.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s CEO Patrice Louvet has widely spoken of his intention for the brand to explore the metaverse as a way. To expand and increase profits of the American brand. In 2021 Ralph Lauren was one of the many brands to set up shop within Roblox, which has a total of over 50 million active daily users. Its ” Ralph Lauren Winter Escape” virtual store stocked pieces that were priced at an accessible level making them attractive to gamers and increasing the brand’s reach within the virtual world.
The experience was developed in collaboration with a Roblox community developer, Funomena, a creative game design and development studio bringing unique and innovative experiences to life on the platform. The brand also offered users the opportunity to customise pieces from its digital collection, which was inspired by the Ralph Lauren Polo Sport line from the nineties.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga’s first venture into the metaverse was through the computer game Fortnite. With a temporary Balenciaga hub, players of the game could purchase digital outfits inspired by real-life Balenciaga Fall 2021 pieces from a virtual boutique. Some items including the brand’s Triple S Sneakers could be unlocked by users without having to buy them and could be worn by their characters in the game. Throughout the duration of the hub, players were invited to try on outfits in the virtual changing room as well as hang out with fellow players in the digital boutique.
To tie the virtual world into the real world And to tie this into the real world, a series of clothing was also available in select Balenciaga stores and on their website and customer who purchased the real-life pieces could also unlock the Balenciaga outfits in Fortnite. This seamless experience between virtual and physical is a real turning point for brands. Further to this, Balenciaga has revealed ambitious plans to further its presence in the digital world.
Burberry
Earlier this year, Burberry introduced a collection of virtual handbags which will soon be available on the global online platform Roblox. Taking inspiration from the brand’s iconic Lola bag, this exclusive limited edition collection of virtual creations highlighted Burberry’s longstanding affinity for nature and the outdoors with five handbags that take inspiration from natural elements with experimental designs. Created in partnership with @Builder_Boy, one of the Roblox community’s most established designers the virtual bags feature colourful compositions with the addition of natural elements such as clouds, water and wild foliage.
Members of the virtual community could dress their avatars with the handbag, wearing it throughout the Roblox platform as they explore the user-generated worlds. Each bag was accompanied by an exclusive emote, a unique action that avatars can perform on Roblox, available to users for free for a limited time. The distinctive movements, such as levitation or dance, mirror each handbag’s design theme.
Rachel Waller, VP of Channel Innovation at Burberry said at the time of the launch: “We are thrilled to partner with Roblox to share a virtual handbag collection and to bring our iconic Lola bag to life in an entirely new creative way. The expression of our digital personas is a fascinating concept and one which we know is increasingly important to our customers. Roblox is a platform built on imagination, community and creativity pillars which are central to our brand, and we’re delighted to bring our virtual products to this community.”
Dolce & Gabbana
Forward-thinking brand Dolce&Gabbana is embracing the metaverse in a big way. One of the brands to showcase at the first Metaverse Fashion week by Decentraland, the designer presented a bespoke collection of 20 looks or Metaverse wearables, designed to celebrate the creativity and innovation of the medium. In addition, the brand also released DGFamily, an exclusive NFT (Non-Fungible Token) community.
The DGFamily NFT offers a unique ecosystem of benefits for holders, including access to exclusive drops, physical and digital events and collaborations. Affirming the one-of-a-kind DGDNA 3.0 that truly transcends reality and the Metaverse.
Fendi
At the beginning of this year, Fendi began its journey into the Metaverse with the Men’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection. The collection was presented in January with a virtual fashion followed by the launch of the Fendi cryptocurrency wallet; a range of crypto hardware accessories. Additionally, this September, the brand expanded its horizons in the sector with the introduction of two innovative AR effects. These were developed with Meta’s Spark AR technology and designed by creative agency BUCK. The effects are now available on Meta’s platforms: Instagram and Facebook. These interactive experiences honour the brand’s partnership with the new ambassador of the house Karim Benzema and the new Faster sneakers.
