The Meta group is preparing to launch a virtual clothing store of luxury brands for Facebook, Instagram and Messenger avatars. A small glimpse of the mercantile marvels that the metaverse has in store for us…
What if Internet users bought virtual luxury clothes, for lack of being able to do so in real life? This is what Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, offers with the opening of its first digital clothing store in the metaverse. This virtual and fully connected universe, which is intended as an extension of physical reality via augmented or virtual reality, could well become the future of the Internet. People are investing astronomical sums in it, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping! The metaverse – from English metaverse – attracts more and more big brands, including those from the world of luxury.
It was via Instagram and Twitter that Mark Zuckerberg and Eva Chen, Vice President of Fashion Partnerships at Meta, announced the opening of the Meta Avatars Store: “Need a new outfit for your avatar? We’re launching our avatar shop on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger for you to buy digital apparel.“And not just any, since it is luxury clothes that will open the ball, with the brands Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Browne. Subsequently, the store will acquire new clothes designed by other major fashion houses .
Metavers: the interest of buying dematerialized clothes?
Meta showed off her first snaps on social media, featuring a biker jumpsuit, a Balenciaga sweatshirt and outfits similar to Thom Browne’s latest runway shows. The goal ? Make luxury “accessible” to be able to show off on social networks while giving even more visibility to major brands. “Digital goods will be an important means of expression in the metaverse and a big driver of the creative economy“, explains the CEO of Meta. Because it is indeed the economy and consumption that are at the heart of this concept, proof that the metaverse is increasingly modeled on the real world.
This is not the first time that fashion and luxury houses have used technology companies. Last year, Fortnite offered players to purchase Balenciaga skins, which allowed them to wear clothing such as a branded hoodie for their in-game characters. Roblox, players can also visit Gucci Town, where there is a garden displaying the brand’s logo and a virtual store. And it’s not just about the fashion world. For example, Ikea released a replica of its catalog in 2020 on Animal Crossing: New Horizonswhile US President Joe Biden, then presidential candidate, took advantage of the huge success of the game to campaign there during confinement.
In any case, the Meta store should begin to be deployed this week in several countries, including the United States, although the Meta group has not yet communicated the price – very real… – of these virtual outfits.