Clothing has always been a form of expression and identity claim. The virtual world offered by Meta is no exception. At least that’s what the CEO of the company and founder of this alternative universe, Mark Zuckerberg, hopes. The company has announced that it will soon be possible for users to purchase branded clothing to dress up their avatars in its metaverse.
The arrival of the Meta Avatars Store was confirmed on June 17 by Mr. Zuckerberg in a Facebook post.
“We’re launching our avatar store on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger so you can buy digital apparel to customize your avatar,” he shared. Digital goods will be an important means of expression in the metaverse and a great driver of the creative economy. »
The store will be accessible this week in Canada, the United States, Thailand and Mexico, reveals the American media TechCrunch.
Users were able to get a glimpse of the different ensembles in a live video broadcast on Instagram by the platform’s fashion partnerships director, Eva Chen. The first outfits presented are signed by the luxury brands Balenciaga, Prada and Tom Browne. Pricing for each of the available garments has yet to be revealed, however.
Other brands should soon be added. Mark Zuckerberg also clarified that free clothing collections will remain available.
New universe, new market
Dressing up your avatar is nothing new, however. What Meta wants to do differently is to offer more diversity in clothing styles.
Will users really be interested in paying to dress their avatars in brand outfits? This is the bet that Mark Zuckerberg is ready to take, for whom the metaverse will grow significantly in the coming years and, with it, the need of Internet users for digital goods.
Taking the leap forward, it is in this perspective that companies have started to include fashion industries to capitalize on the income that the need for expression of the users of the metaverse can produce.
This is not the first time that luxury clothing brands have made an incursion into the digital sphere. In September 2021, Balenciaga had already imagined accessories and clothing for the Fortnite store. In Roblox, players can visit Gucci Town, complete with a garden featuring the brand’s logo, which launched in May 2021, as well as a virtual store launched this year.