Gucci is known for many things: luxury fashion, coveted handbags and floral perfume, to name a few. But one rather surprising avenue the fashion house has recently decided to go down is high fashion for gamers.
You heard that right. The Italian-born brand, which is currently headed by Creative Director Alessandro Michele, decided earlier this year to release a new collection curated specifically for gamers via their app. Gaming fans can now peruse the collection and dress their avatars, embracing luxury fashion at the touch of a button.
The hope is that video games will help boost Guccis sales. 2.5 billion people play video games every year and spend £75 million on virtual goods, so it makes sense that the fashion house would aim for a piece of the pie. They also signed up to virtual styling app Drest, which was launched earlier this year by Lucy Yeomans, joining 160 brands including Prada, Stella McCartney, Burberry and Valentino – all now virtually shoppable on the app.
Gucci are also set to release their own virtual trainer app, Sneaker Garage. This will enable players to design, try and then purchase sneakers, although those shoes stay within the app. Regardless, its thought that the move could create a new revenue stream for Gucci, particularly as the Covid-19 pandemic has seen more people gaming than ever before. Surprisingly enough, gamers are willing to pay more and more for virtual high-fashion looks, with one man, a blockchain security expert, splashing out over £7,000 on a virtual dress for his wife last year.
It comes as no surprise then to hear that this isn’t the first time a luxury fashion brand has used gaming to boost their image. Last year, The Sims collaborated with Moschino when Jeremy Scott styled avatars for the game. It went on to sell 200 million copies worldwide. In 2012, DKNY also launched a Facebook game that gave players the opportunity to win digital clothes from the brand.
As we live our lives online more and more as time goes on, it was just a matter of time before virtual fashion became part of it.
Would you buy virtual Gucci? Drop us a comment and let us know below.
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