Riya Sahijwani
I am sure not everyone has heard of the term metaverse, so we shall first look into what exactly is a metaverse? It is usually a combination of different technology elements, including virtual reality and creating a social connection. Due to the pandemic, the next generation of this online life will spread across many metaverses with different characteristics. Certain fashion brands believe that it is only a matter of time before all fashion houses get acquainted with digital fashion and other aspects of the metaverse.
Many fashion brands have opted for the metaverse as a successful brand strategy. With the creation of an immersive ecosystem, businesses will have new opportunities to promote brand loyalty and interact with their (future) customers by providing a one-of-a-kind experience. These brands listed below use new and imaginative methods to engage with their clients. They demonstrate how marketing can be fun and engaging by becoming the first to enter the metaverse.
- Gucci:
In 2021 Gucci collaborated with Roblox by selling several rare Gucci items on their platform. They created a unique virtual garden exhibit for two weeks, specifically on Roblox. It was a part of their brand’s 100th birthday celebration and included Gucci’s Archetypes, a 2-week immersive multimedia experience in Florence.
Everyone on Roblox gained access to the virtual Gucci Garden environment for two weeks in May. Those who attended could see and experience the vision of Alessandro Michele’s represented in their previous campaigns. On Roblox platforms, the company launched limited edition items such as virtual handbags.
Lady Gaga wore this gown from its New Collection at the London premiere of House of Gucci.
Pc: @gucci on Instagram
- Adidas:
Adidas revealed last week that it has teamed with Yuga Labs, the developers of Bored Ape, and others in the sector to launch the “Into the Metaverse” line through its lifestyle label, Adidas Originals. The 30,000 NFTs went on sale on December 17 for about $800 apiece, selling out in minutes and earning the corporation more than $22 million in an afternoon. NFT users will be able to purchase digital and physical wearables in 2022.
Adidas also bought #8774, one of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, and transformed it into Indigo Herz, a metaverse figure it intends to employ in future initiatives.
“See all women win” – Shaunae Miller-Uibo
Pc: @adidas Instagram
- Burberry:
This brand is venturing into the metaverse and intends to give its customers a fun experience that resembles the real world. Their recent collaboration with the video game Honor of Kings brought Burberry designs. This London-based fashion brand is making it’s putting its first foot forward into the realm of video games. The honor of Kings’ cooperation will allow the fashion brand further to investigate humans’ relationship with adventure and the metaverse. The connection is a significant step forward in how fashion and gaming can work together to attract and retain customers.
Burberry’s new take on their Signature Design
Pc: @burberry on Instagram
- Prada:
Their new computer-generated avatar created to promote a fragrance collection is called Candy. She is seen dressed head-to-toe in their Spring/Summer 2021 collection and looks just like an influencer. Prada introduced Candy as an invitation to ‘rethink reality and is seen in a wide range of digital and print advertising. She is also in a series of short films on most social platforms like Instagram, Twitch, Snapchat, and Tiktok.
Prada’s computer-generated avatar, Candy.
Pc: @prada on Instagram
- Amazon:
Amazon sponsored Justin Bieber to become virtual in November 2020 to promote a song release. This November, the artist made another appearance in the metaverse, performing songs in a live, virtual performance on Wave, a virtual entertainment platform. Audiences could engage with Bieber himself, who wore a motion-capture outfit and controlled his digital avatar. He also starred in an Amazon Original movie called ‘Justin Bieber, Our World.’ These digital duplicates often have a brief existence, generating buzz for a particular product launch or online event.
Justin Bieber’s Movie poster.
Pc: @justinbieber on Instagram
- Nike:
Nike forayed into the metaverse by developing user-driven, fully immersive digital experiences that tie into their physical offering.
Customers might visit Nike’s House of Innovation in New York from February 4 to 11, 2021. Visitors could explore a virtual reproduction of Smith Rock State Park in Oregon using their mobile phones and other virtual and augmented equipment. The activities within site were designed to be as participatory and enjoyable as possible to entice consumers. The fashion business collaborated with Hovercraft, a brand experience provider, to accomplish this.
Never Done challenging yourself. Running Legend Shalane Flanagan.
Pc: @nike on Instagram
- Forever 21:
They launched their Shop City experience on Roblox. The world, which the brand created on the platform, allowed its users to choose and swap locations anywhere in the game. It also allowed them to partake in shopping tasks such as stocking inventory and assisting customers. Digital merchandise matching the ones physically sold in stores was also available. The digital fashion collaboration between Forever 21 and Roblox is intended to counteract some impulsive purchase habits. The concept of linking actual fashion clothes with their digital counterparts may eventually drive customers to purchase entirely digital items.
Instagram post showcasing their items from one of their Online Sales.
Pc: @forever21 on Instagram
- Balenciaga:
Kim Kardashian wore an all-Black attire by Balenciaga at the Met Gala. This outfit drew a lot of conversation online and within the Fortnite community as many commented that her outfit looked similar to the ones the Characters wore. These rumors became true once Balenciaga confirmed that they had collaborated with Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, to bring their signature clothing and apparel into the game. In conjunction with introducing the digital clothing set, the two firms introduced a community-driven living lookbook campaign via the Strange Times Featured Hub inside Fortnite. The Balenciaga retail storefronts emerge in Fortnite, exhibiting the virtual community’s clothes on billboards, mashing up the player’s self-expression with unexpected components, and are at the heart of the campaign.
Justin Bieber for Balenciaga.
Pc: @justinbieber on Instagram
- Louis Vuitton:
In their recent birthday celebrations, they developed Louis the Game, a video game that combines innovation and heritage. Players in the game can travel into a world where they explore fashion house legacy and collect monogram candles as a reward, which gives them access to more levels. This game is available on Apple Store and Google Play. Louis Vuitton hopes to attract customers to their world of fashion through this game.
The K-Pop band BTS, who featured in the Special Editions of Vogue Korea, wear looks from LV
Pc: @louisvuitton on Instagram
- Calvin Klein:
The online luxury discount site Yoox launched Daisy, their virtual influencer, in 2018, where she was seen wearing clothes by Calvin Klein. According to the Yoox brand, Yoox introduced Daisy, which is now only available on Instagram to make garments feel “more familiar and personal” to consumers, who frequently swipe through adverts on the platform. According to Strippoli, Daisy’s features were designed utilizing Yoox user data and client preferences. Daisy might be exposed to the rest of the metaverse in the future. Strippoli claims that virtual avatars like Daisy cost “far less” than genuine influencers, are 100% controlled, can appear in many locations at once, and are a great spokesperson for Yoox when it wants to promote its opinions on themes like diversity and inclusion or sustainability. Models like Kaia Gerber were also modeling Calvin Klein on their Instagram page.
Kaia Gerber modeling for Calvin Klein.
Pc: @calvinklein on Instagram
References:
https://www.voguebusiness.com/technology/what-influencer-marketing-looks-like-in-the-metaverse
https://www.glossy.co/fashion/3-fashion-brands-that-entered-the-metaverse-in-december/
https://www.thedigitalspeaker.com/7-consumer-brands-reinventing-marketing-in-the-metaverse/
https://www.glossy.co/fashion/how-5-brands-have-launched-into-the-metaverse-since-september/
