7 Top Fashion Brands Killing It in The Metaverse

 If there’s a buzzword of the minute, it’s metaverse. Web3. The future of the internet.  

 While it all feels a bit like Ready Player One, there is more to the metaverse than online gaming with a virtual reality headset. It’s rapidly expanded to include social networks, live entertainment, and remote working, with the user experience tailored through artificial intelligence and augmented reality. We are gradually becoming accustomed to hearing about NFTs, cryptocurrencies and digital avatars and, however overwhelming it feels right now, this is just the starting line.  

The metaverse has already impacted so many industries, and fashion retail is no exception. Some designer fashion giants have already been making incredibly disruptive moves, from virtual showrooms to NFT collections, and gaming experiences to cosmetic product sampling. According to The Business of Fashion, global spending on virtual products reached around $110 billion last year, with approximately 30 percent of revenues attributed to virtual fashion. Not only that, but fashion houses focused on metaverse innovation and commercialisation could generate more than 5 percent of revenues from virtual activity over the next few years.  

While it may feel like novel entertainment right now, with increasing consumer demand for instant fashion and personalised experience, the metaverse is set to absolutely revolutionise the way we shop online, and maybe in-store too. 

Leading the way to the metaverse and beyond, here are 7 top fashion brands that are disrupting the scene with their digital innovations. 

Selfridges: Charli Cohen x Pokemon

To celebrate 25 years of Pokemon, Selfridges teamed up with iconic designer Charli Cohen alongside Yahoo RYOT Lab to build Electric/City.  

In a virtual city inspired by the fashion capitals of the world, gamers can shop exclusive physical garments featuring Pikachu, as well as an exclusive digital garment collection which can be worn via a body-tracking augmented reality Snapchat lens OR on a customisable digital avatar which can be used across hundreds of virtual platforms. 

“The digital Kaleidodrip collection is an experiment in digital identity, and we can’t wait to see customers rocking it in games and social spaces across the metaverse. This whole project has been so exciting – we’ve been able to build out our dream world in Electric/City and have pulled off a legendary 25th birthday party for Pokémon!” – Designer Charli Cohen 

Diesel – Hyperoom 

Moschino X The Sims 

In 2019, as a tribute to The Sims’ 20th birthday, Italian label Moschino teamed up with EA to bring us a ready-to-wear capsule collection of garments and accessories that look as though they’ve been downloaded from the simulation game to real life. Featuring pixelated designs drawn from The Sims world, the pieces look exactly as they do on the avatars in the game, and feature motifs such as the plumbob (the green diamond above Sims’ heads) retro chains and teddy bear. 

The collection was launched both physically in Moschino stores AND digitally in the virtual world of The Sims, which meant gamers could wear real-life garments and dress their Sims avatar with the same Moschino items.  

Moschino Creative Director Jeremy Scott said, “I love the idea of being able to imagine, design and bring to life a world of individual personas with The Sims universe… That concept emulates what I get to do for each collection at Moschino as I create a fantasy universe of spectacular storylines and characters.” 

 Moschino Stuff was the first content pack for The Sims 4 to include real-life brand items, however, this was not the first time EA has collaborated with brands for the game. Previous brand collaborations include The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff, The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff, and The Sims 3: Diesel Stuff. 

 Vans  – Roblox Vans World 

Designed in 2021 in collaboration with The Gang Stockholm, a Roblox game development studio, Vans World is a virtual interactive skate park experience inspired by real-world destinations.  

Gamers can design their skateboard and customise their Roblox avatar with Vans-branded shoes and apparel.  Within the virtual space, which includes the Vans Off The Wall Skatepark in California, users can practice skating tricks and compete in races and other challenges. 

 Vans World intends to be a fun and engaging gaming experience aligned with Vans’ Off The Wall brand purpose of ‘thinking differently’ and ‘embracing self-expression’.  

Nick Street, vice president of global integrated marketing at Vans, said ‘Individual expression is deeply embedded in skate culture, and Vans has been supporting and enabling this exact type of creativity for more than 50 years. With the Vans World experience on Roblox, we are empowering creative expression in the digital world, bridging the gap between virtual and real-world fashion and sports in an accessible, inclusive way.’ 

Gucci

Gucci X Roblox

Gucci, marking its 100th year, also collaborated with Roblox in 2021.  Alongside the unveiling of an immersive experience, Gucci Garden Archetypes, in Florence which celebrates the fashion giant’s creative vision, a virtual Gucci Garden space was launched on the Roblox platform. 

 The Gucci Garden, reflective of the Florence exhibition and only open for 14 days, was divided into various themed rooms where guests could immerse themselves in the vision of Creative Director Alessandro Michele.  

Upon entering the virtual space, visitors adopted a “blank canvas” by shedding their avatars in favour of a neutral mannequin – symbolic of the beginning of life. As they traversed through the experience, guests retained fragments from each space and completed their journey as a one-of-a-kind creation – reflecting the uniqueness of the individual

SuperGucci

 SUPERGUCCI is a “groundbreaking collaboration” with Superplastic: a two-part series of limited NFTs. Co-created by Alessandro Michele and Superlastic’s Janky & Guggimon. Each NFT features a unique house code from the Aria collection and unlocks an exclusive sculpture, limited to 500 pieces.  

Check out the collection on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/superplastic-supergucci 

Louis Vuitton – Louis The Game

In 2021 Louis Vuitton celebrated 200 years with an adventure-based game. Louis The Game follows the main character Vivienne on the hunt for 200 candles to commemorate the milestone birthday. Within the game, you can run, jump and collect stuff as you navigate six different worlds. 

You can also customise your character’s look with various LV colours and prints, as well as collect up to 30 hidden NFTs throughout the game. 

 If you fancy playing the game, you can download it for Apple, Android and Google. 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/louis-the-game/id1574401807 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.louisvuitton.LV200&hl=en_GB&gl=US 

Balenciaga X Fortnite 

In September 2021, Balenciaga became the first high fashion brand to partner with Fortnite.  

 Within the game, players can purchase digital wardrobe items inspired by real-life collections, from a Balenciaga boutique in the game’s item shop. The fashion giant also released a series of real-life Fortnight X Balenciaga outfits in select Balenciaga stores, as well as through their online store. 

These are some of the most exciting moves we have seen top-name brands making within the digital space in the last couple of years, but I want to include a few more honourable mentions.  

Joining in on the digital fashion fun, Nike has also joined the NFT game with collectable virtual sneakers. Its first collection, Cryptokicks, was released in April 2022 with one design by artist Takashi Murakami selling for $134,000.

Major beauty brand Dior partnered with editing app Meitu to allow users to test different makeup looks through the incredible power of artificial intelligence. Dubbed “Dior Skin ID”, the app includes a testing tool which allows users to scan their face and receive an intensive skin condition report, plus try out some of Dior’s most exclusive looks and step-by-step tutorials.   

Earlier this year, Hugo Boss massively disrupted the fashion world by hosting the first-ever Metaverse Fashion Week. Set up similarly to real-life fashion weeks, the event did not disappoint with runway shows, pop-ups, musical performances and art installations. 

 And all of this is just the beginning. Whilst in its infancy right now, the idea of the metaverse may seem a little intimidating but, we must admit, the level of innovation we are seeing at the moment, especially across the world’s major players, is impressive and exciting indeed.