As earlier reported here, the digital influence on fashion is becoming more and more evident. Most recently we have seen how both fashion brands and media houses are venturing into the metaverse.
Balenciaga X Fortnite
Balenciaga most recently shook the fashion world when they, during Paris Fashion Week, presented its upcoming SS22-collection. Besides presenting the collection itself, they also premiered a joint episode of The Simpsons, with cartoonized cameos of Creative Director Demna Gvasalia, Anna Wintour, Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian.
The brand, not afraid of exploring the unknown, also created a buzz earlier this month when its collaboration with the video game Fortnite was released. The limited capsule collection of the collab embodies what is today described as the ”metaverse”. This is because the collection is both available digitally, where you are able to dress the Fortnite characters in Balenciaga gear, but it is also possible to buy the garments physically to match your digital character. For Fortnite, Balenciaga has produced four different skins, that will be accompanied by accessories and an in-game Balenciaga store that is based on the design of physical Balenciaga stores.
For Epic Games – the developer behind Fortnite — this is a first step into the growing market of digital luxury fashion. To Balenciaga though, the brand is no stranger to the world of video games. To present its fall 2021 collection the brand did it through a video game called Afterworld, a video game that was in fact produced with the 3D design development software Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games.
— Self-expression is one of the things that makes Fortnite so unique, and there couldn’t be a better first fashion partner than Balenciaga to bring their authentic designs and trendsetting culture to millions of players around the world, says Adam Sussman, President at Epic Games, regarding the collaboration.
Vogue Talents
Vogue Talents was launched in 2009 by the then editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani. Since the beginning Vogue Talents have been a platform to support young talent and designers within fashion to an international audience. During Milan Fashion Week the talent program launched the digital platform, made by Monogrid, where users can browse the content and talents with a gamification experience.
Besides the platform, Vogue Talents has teamed up with the digital fashion house The Dematerialised to create a capsule collection of NFT looks. Sara Sozzani Maino, head of Vogue Talents, have chosen five different talents that each have got the opportunity to create a virtual look. The participating brands are Cormio, Federico Cina, Marco Rambaldi, Niccolò Pasqualetti and Vivetta.
— We have a good dialogue with Vogue Italia and Vogue Talents. They launched us with the contest ”Who is on Next?” in 2019 and has been supporting us since. They stressed the innovative aspect of the project which is a good fit for young and emerging luxury fashion brands, ready to easily adopt new technologies, explained Stefano Buldrini, Brand Manager of Federico Cina.
The collection of NFTs was a huge success and sold out in less than 51 minutes.
— The creative process was rigorous and involved several meetings with The Dematerialised’s digital artists. From our side, we had to provide them with technical drawings of the garments including specific information, such as measurements, fabrics and colours. In addition, we shared with The Dematerialized our feedbacks on the first prototypes, to ensure that the final result looked exactly as the physical one, Stefano Buldrini concludes.
L’Officiel – House of Dreams
To celebrate its centenary jubilee, the iconic french fashion magazine, L’Officiel is launching its digital platform and exhibition House of Dreams. The platform that is inaugurated during Paris Fashion Week will host performances from its cover stars Maluma and Jessica Chastain, as well as other celebrities.
The exhibition is an interactive experience that embraces the future but also celebrates the 100-year long history of the french fashion publication. With participating, fashion brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Dior, Pierre Cardin, Valentino and Tiffany & Co. visitors are able to take part in an NFT-exhibition of L’Officiel images and take a digital stroll through the rooms that will be exploring topics such as diversity, haute couture, and the nightlife of Paris.