High Fashion Brands Revolutionizing Fashion & Gaming
Crossovers between high fashion houses and gaming brands are one of the latest developments in entertainment. Twenty years ago, nobody would have imagined Louis Vuitton or Balenciaga would have opted to step into the industry with gaming-first fashion lines, gaming-themed retail centers, and even their own mobile games.
Back in 2018, Chanel took a leap by opening up select Coco Game Centers across Asia. The centers were designed to emulate old-school arcades. They let visitors sample products through clunky machines that replicated games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Though short-lived, it was just the start of a brand-new fashion-gaming revolution.
A Game & Theme For Everyone
Most people imagine old-school casinos when they think of high fashion and gaming. In the past, famous locations like the Casino di Monte Carlo in Monaco were renowned for combining the worlds of gaming, intrigue, and high fashion. But today, the merging of fashion and gaming is much more nuanced.
Rather than dress up to the nines in order to head out to a brick-and-mortar casino, a gamer who enjoys fashion themes can simply find a title that suits their needs at home. For example, an online slots player might shop around using a free spin offer from US casinos to find the right platform. Many players are on the lookout for a diversity of slot themes—and fashion is one of them.
Even though slots (like most games) seem to have little in common with fashion, developers have released titles like High Fashion Slots and Moda Urbana specifically with fashionistas in mind. And that’s just the beginning. Keep reading for some of the most interesting crossovers between celebrities, luxury brands, and the world’s most popular video games.
Balenciaga & the Metaverse
Few fashion brands have the scope and vision of Balenciaga when it comes to gaming. Specifically, the fashion house is working within VR and eSports to find exposure with new clients. Back in December 2021, Balenciaga announced plans to expand into Meta’s Metaverse.
Specifically, the brand wants to get its foot in the door in terms of virtual fashion. To pave the way for this future, Balenciaga recently released ‘The Lost Tape’, a digital-only fashion line. According to CEO Cédric Charbit, one of the driving forces behind this move is accessing the Chinese market. Gaming, it seems, will be a direct bridge to East Asia for the brand.
Balenciaga & Fortnite (& Epic Games)
But Charbit isn’t stopping there with his dreams of making Balenciaga a major label in gaming and VR. Three months before announcing plans for a digital-only fashion line, Balenciaga announced a partnership with Epic Games. Epic Games is one of the biggest players in global eSports, in charge of developing games like Fortnite and running one of the biggest online gaming stores.
Once again, Balenciaga avoided physical fashion lines, which have been released by others brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Instead, it dove into eXtended Reality (XR) by creating a virtual store where Fortnite players can purchase one of four specialized skins. Balenciaga also released a very limited line of hats and hoodies, but the main focus was a one-week-long virtual store.
Louis Vuitton, League of Legends, Riot Games, & Proprietary ‘Louis’
Louis Vuitton has also created specialized skins for League of Legends, another one of the world’s most popular video games. However, the brand first released various real-world lines and products for Riot Games’ LoL. In 2019, they released a travel case for the League of Legends World Championship Finals (in Paris, nonetheless).
Since then, Louis Vuitton has diversified how it interacts with gaming. The company has also worked with Riot Games to release digital lines, similar to Balenciaga’s work with Fortnite. One of the most interesting developments in this partnership is advertising. In both cases, fashion brands utilized fully digital and/or animated ads to showcase how their digital products look.
But Louis Vuitton has gone over the top in other ways, too. The company also developed a mobile game app, released in 2021 on the brand’s 100-year anniversary. In it, gamers can explore locations and challenges, following around a little bear named Louis.