What is Gamification in Fashion?
Fashion Houses Enter the Gaming Universe: A New Frontier for Design and Interaction
From Runways to Game Screens: How Major Fashion Brands Are Conquering the Virtual World
In a dramatic shift accelerated by the pandemic, major fashion houses have ventured into the digital realm, notably marking their presence in the world of video gaming. This transition represents a novel integration of fashion and gaming, transcending traditional collaborations to create a unique intersection of style and virtual interaction.
The first major collaboration between a luxury fashion brand and a video game can be traced back to 2012 when Prada launched a collection modeled by characters from the “Final Fantasy” video game series. This collaboration represented a pioneering move in the fusion of high fashion and gaming, a trend that has since seen significant growth with various other luxury brands and gaming partnerships emerging over the years.
Rent the Runway Co-Founder Jennifer Fleiss told Rebellion Research:
“Various brands are experimnting with web3 and video game products for in game use to engage a new user base, build brand equity in this domain and learn about this new modality. Digital versions of these products are an appealing way to test the waters on various styles at a low cost and enable consumers to engage with their products at a lower price point while retaining the luxury feel.”
In 2015, Louis Vuitton took a groundbreaking step in fashion advertising by using the video game character Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII as the face of its spring-summer collection. As an early foray into the digital realm, Louis Vuitton’s cross-industry engagement sparked a trend of fashion-video game collaborations. Brands like Balenciaga, Ralph Lauren, and Gucci have since joined this digital frontier, blending physical and digital collections in popular games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft, signaling a new era of fashion integration in virtual spaces.
With the digital response to the pandemic, luxury fashion brands like Burberry, Gucci, and Marc Jacobs, among others, increasingly focused their marketing efforts in the digital sphere. This pivot has inspired a series of innovative and groundbreaking collaborations between high fashion and the gaming world.
A recent example of this trend is Burberry’s introduction of in-game accessories for the online game Blankos Block Party, released as a series of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on August 11. This move not only signifies a new chapter in the blend of gaming and fashion, but also hints at the lucrative potential for brands in the virtual world.
The Fusion of Fashion and Gaming?
We have witnessed a normalization of video game characters over the last few decades. Gone are the days of extreme outfits and silly outlandish characters. According to CyberGhost’s blog post:
“More recently, we’ve seen a shift towards more normal, practical-looking outfits, especially in Western game development. This is due, in part, to more and more games being set in our world, or one that’s adjacent in terms of fashion. To be clear, game designers have been making characters with “normal” clothes since the first game set on Earth, but we’re seeing more practical fashions take center stage along with the decidedly impractical ones.”
More details. Woman’s Bicycling Ensemble, 1898, LACMA
Experts like Dr. Kristopher Alexander from Ryerson University note the growing interest in gaming as a new domain for fashion’s expansion. The gaming demographic, encompassing ages 18 to 39, aligns well with fashion brands’ target audience, creating an ideal synergy for such collaborations.
Furthermore, Gucci’s partnerships with various gaming platforms, including Animal Crossing, Roblox, and Pokémon Go, are indicative of this digital movement, offering virtual renditions of iconic fashion pieces.
Virtual Runways and Beyond
Fashion brands are not just limiting themselves to in-game collaborations. Balenciaga showcased its Fall 2021 collection in an interactive video game, Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow! Moreover, Burberry introduced its own racing game called B Surf. These ventures illustrate how fashion is embracing gaming not just as a marketing tool, but as a new medium of artistic expression and consumer engagement.
This amalgamation is not merely a profit-driven strategy, but also a cultural bridge. Brands like Los Angeles-based Born x Raised have found a natural connection with the gaming world, with their digital apparel featured in Grand Theft Auto Online. Such collaborations reflect cultural synergies more than commercial ones, emphasizing authentic connections over straightforward revenue generation.
The Future of Fashion and Gaming
The symbiotic relationship between fashion and gaming is poised to grow stronger, blurring the lines between these two industries. Fashion brands are increasingly viewing gaming as a viable platform for advertising and selling. Moreover, the overarching vision is to translate fashion’s creative ethos into the gaming universe, offering an immersive and interactive experience that resonates with the digital generation.
In conclusion, the entry of fashion into the gaming world marks a significant evolution in how brands interact with their audiences. This trend is not just reshaping marketing strategies, but also redefining the boundaries of fashion and digital entertainment. As these collaborations become more prevalent and sophisticated, the fusion of fashion and gaming promises to unlock new possibilities for creativity, interaction, and commercial ventures in the virtual space.
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- Is Prada A Luxury Brand?
- Why is Hermès so special?
Edited by Avhan Misra & Dominic Maniscalco
