The Metaverse has been one of the hottest topics of 2022, and is set to transform the way we live, work, shop and socialise even more than they already have been by the digital age over recent years. Currently being developed by Facebook parent company Meta, and with Mark Zuckerberg at the helm and a plethora of big tech businesses also on board, the Metaverse is set to combine virtual and mixed reality worlds in order to facilitate real time interactions and experiences from anywhere in the world.
In practice, that means that with the help of virtual reality, we’ll be able to express ourselves through virtual avatars, hold remote meetings with colleagues where it feels like we’re actually all in a room together rather than behind computer screens, create and sell digital art and purchase and monetise virtual real estate, to name but a few.
Cryptocurrencies are set to play a huge role in many of the Metaverse’s functionalities, with popular digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Mana already being used to purchase pieces of luxury real estate and non-fungible tokens. So it’s perhaps little wonder that we’re already seeing an uptick in the number of new sign ups to crypto trading platforms like Bit Profit, with forward-thinkers eager to ensure they are well prepared for the Metaverse’s gradual unfolding.
While for most of us the arrival of the Metaverse in all its glory still feels like something of a pipe dream, it’s becoming a reality faster than we think, and even our favourite luxury fashion brands are jumping on board and riding the Metaverse wave into the future.
We’ve already seen several high-end fashion brands starting to invest in marketing tools like virtual advertisements and exhibitions, and with these three big hitters leading the pack, your luxury shopping experience could be about to change forever in ways that just a few years ago, we never could have imagined.
Gucci
Gucci has long been seen as one of the leaders in the luxury fashion world when it comes to adapting to current technology trends and embracing innovation. It was one of the first luxury brands to begin accepting cryptocurrency as a means of payment for goods, and in 2021, it teamed up with world-renowned gaming platform Roblox to virtually exhibit its handbags, hats and sunglasses in the form of avatars.
In a space dubbed the ‘Gucci Garden’, the exhibition ran for two weeks and allowed fans of the brand to get their hands on a selection of rare and collectible virtual Gucci creations – and plans are already afoot for the brand’s next top-secret foray into the Metaverse.
Louis Vuitton
Leading fashion house Louis Vuitton is perhaps one of the most iconic luxury brands in the world, with its trademark monogram instantly recognisable and seen across its opulent range of handbags and luggage in particular.
Like Gucci, Louis Vuitton has also been quick to react to news of the Metaverse’s development, and in celebration of its 200th birthday back in 2021, it launched a mobile game featuring 30 NFTs and following the journey of house mascot Vivienne. Shaped from the iconic symbols that make up the afore-mentioned monogram, Vivienne was a major inspiration behind the men’s pre-autumn collection back in 2018, and in ‘Louis the Game’, players could accompany her through six different worlds on a quest to collect 200 candles in honour of each year of the brand’s history.
Founded alongside Beeple, one of the most esteemed artists in the NFT world, the game featured an impressive art collage worth up to $69.3 million and is a sign that Louis Vuitton is more than ready to embrace the Metaverse over the coming years.
Balenciaga
The brainchild of Cristobal Balenciaga back in 1917, Balenciaga is a luxury brand that has been doing the rounds for some while now, and is perhaps best known for its opulent handbags and ‘those’ iconic giant crocs, which were first seen on Kanye West and quickly became the talk of the fashion world.
The brand was one of the first to venture into the Metaverse and the first major fashion house to partner with popular online virtual reality game Fortnite, offering up four unique items from its collection to be sold to players as avatars’ skins and accessories. It also dreamt up a digital avatar known as Doggo, which was dressed from head to toe in Balenciaga, which caused quite a stir – and was understandably a highlight of this exclusive Fortnite collection.
