Gucci takes fashion into the virtual universe of Roblox

A new partnership between Gucci and Roblox aims to deliver digital items from the iconic fashion house brand into the platform’s metaverse of games and immersive 3-D worlds via an experience called Gucci Garden. 

Why it matters

Gucci is far from the first big-name brand to reach into the online gaming world over the last year. Burberry designed outfits for a strategy game in China, Balenciaga created a dystopian world within a game to launch a clothing collection, and Louis Vuitton dressed a virtual K-pop group at the League of Legends world championships. 

But it illustrates the perceived importance of new platforms like Roblox, which are as much about experience as self-fashioning and point to a medium that overlaps with social media for a younger generation. 

The details

• Visitors’ Roblox avatars can view, try on and buy digital Gucci fashion items, designed specifically for the online experience. 
• Platforms such as Roblox allow brands a means of reaching highly prized Gen-Z audiences, Vogue Business reports. Based on WARC research, it’s estimated there are now some 3.4 billion gamers globally, 27% of whom are aged between 21 and 30. Roblox has over 42 million daily users and its fastest-growing demographic is among those aged 17 to 24.
• The creative, which will run to the end of May, is a virtual rendition of the fashion house’s Gucci Garden Archetype, an immersive, real-world exhibit at Gucci Garden in Florence. 

Key quote

“Just like you wanted to catch the kids at the mall, it’s the same thing [the metaverse] . You build that brand affinity, as they already inhabit the space. Most of these kids aren't on Instagram or other platforms — this is their social network” – Cathy Hackl, chief metaverse officer at Future Metaverse Labs.

Sourced from Vogue Business, The Verge

^{[Image: Roblox]}