The luxury brand Gucci opened a permanent metaverse experience in the game Roblox. Called “Gucci Town,” this new virtual area will give gamers a chance to relax, play, and admire the company’s latest virtual fashion accessories.
Gucci executives say Gucci Town is modeled on a traditional Italian piazza. From the central square, gamers can access many immersive experiences, including video games at “Mini Game Heights” and a photo studio at “Selfie Way.” There’s also an outdoor cafe, waterfalls, and plenty of greenery in Gucci Town.
If gamers need a little “retail therapy,” they can see what’s available at Gucci Town’s digital Gucci Shop. Here, visitors will find clothing and fashion accessories for their in-game avatars.
The Italian fashion house claims creative director Alessandro Michele played a central role in designing this new virtual experience. Gucci also says it will listen to fans’ suggestions as it continues to develop Gucci Town.
In 2021, Gucci first dipped its toes into the Roblox ecosystem with a temporary “Gucci Garden” experience. Although this event lasted just a few weeks, the company says about 20 million gamers visited its metaverse experience.
Fashion Houses Have Fallen in Love with Web3
Gucci has been incredibly busy in Web3 in the past few months. In addition to opening Gucci Land, the Florence-based brand recently announced it will accept cryptocurrencies in its American stores. Gucci also bought LAND NFTs in The Sandbox metaverse, and it partnered with Superplastic to drop special edition NFTs.
While Gucci is obviously on-board with Web3, it’s far from the only fashion house involved in NFTs, crypto, and metaverse gaming. In fact, luxury brands have been very receptive to using cutting-edge Web3 technologies.
For instance, the French fashion house Louis Vuitton recently took a big bet on blockchain-based games. Last year, Louis Vuitton launched “Louis The Game,” which rewards players with commemorative Beeple-designed NFTs.
Arguably, Dolce & Gabbana has had the greatest success entering the NFT market. In 2021, Dolce & Gabbana’s genesis NFT drop sold for an impressive $6 million. Dolce & Gabbana continued its initial success with the “DGFamily” NFT series on the Polygon blockchain.
More recently, Prada announced an NFT drop that would link with IRL clothing from its June Timecapsule release. The Italian fashion house says all of the 100 NFTs in this drop feature designs from the artist Cassius Hirst.
Some clothing brands have even partnered with PFP NFT projects to show off their upcoming items. For example, Kith recently collaborated with Invisible Friends NFTs to promote its Summer 2022 designs.
Given all of these recent developments, it’s safe to say the future of fashion is in Web3.