Fashion meets Fortnite

Hello hello! Welcome to all our new friends! And to our current friends – thanks for coming back for this week.

This week we are covering…

🤝 Fashion meets Fortnite: LVMH and Nike tie up with Epic Games

👟 Adidas Originals x FEWOCiOUS

✨ Standout digital fashion drops

🔥 Hot links

Fashion meets Fortnite: LVMH and Nike tie up with Epic Games

The biggest names in fashion are tapping into the Epic Games ecosystem - led by the Fortnite maker’s Unreal Editor and 3D creation tools - to create new, immersive customer experiences and expand their metaverse involvement.

• In its bid for “immersive product discovery” among customers, French luxury group LVMH has partnered with Epic Games on 3D design technology for its fashion shows, virtual fitting rooms for brands like Louis Vuitton and Bulgari, product carousels, AR, and digital twins. The partnership will leverage Epic Games’ 3D tools and ecosystems for creating new collections, mounting ad campaigns, and maintaining the website.

• As part of a multi-year partnership, Nike has launched Airphoria, a new immersive gaming experience within Fortnite that merges the iconic Air Max IP and Fortnite’s immersive world as powered by the Unreal Editor for Fortnite. The launch enables Fortnite players to buy the Airie and Maxxed Out Max Outfits in Fornite’s Item Shop, while a limited Airphoria-inspired collection also drops on Nike.com.

These new tie-ups follow innovative precedents: Bulgari and Epic’s virtual version of ancient Rome as a metaverse experience in 2022; LVMH’s first virtual influencer, Livi, created with Epic’s MetaHuman tech; and Nike as among the 1st brands to use Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite.

Adidas Originals x FEWOCiOUS [Link]

Adidas Originals and 20-year-old artist FEWOCiOUS unite art, culture, and innovation via the limited-ed Trefoil Flower Mint Pass, which grants exclusive access to the artist-designed Campus 00 sneaker with black and white “linework” design and blue and white cloud pattern laces, reflecting FEWOCiOUS' signature style.

Why this is a groundbreaking milestone: Adidas introduces its 1st-ever token-gated, NFC-tagged sneaker tied to an NFT, symbolizing the intersection of tech and artistic expression in the fashion world.

Trefoil Flower Mint Pass holders will have the opportunity to redeem the physical sneaker later in the summer, bridging the gap between the digital and physical realms and offering an immersive experience.

Standout digital fashion drops

New NFT and physical footwear, clothing, and accessory releases mark this week’s digital fashion landscape.

• Puma debuts Black Station 2 in celebration of its 75th anniversary, an expanded metaverse effort from last September where shoppers can buy NFTs and redeem them for physical goods. The initial drop will be the Fast-RB running shoe, and Puma Pass NFT holders can buy a Materializer NFT for a physical shoe or a digital collectible NFT.

• Gap launches a limited drop of vintage pieces curated by designer and MNTGE founder Sean Wotherspoon, where items available online including striped denim overalls and logo ringer tees sold out shortly after the launch. Previously, Wotherspoon’s MNTGE brand collaborated with Levi’s for the MNTGE Fruits and Veggies collection, a mix of Levi’s denim styles embedded with NFC chips.

• Smiley partners with fashion tech firm Space Runners for a digital-to-physical NFT launch - its 1st move into NFTs and a heady mix of digital collectibles, AI, and physical merch. The collection tells the story of 10 Smiley Worlds, threatened by a growing black hole.

Digital fashion tech roundup

Parisian label Balmain is implementing Fluent Order Management's system to enhance the online customer experience. This allows Balmain to expand its online presence and sell its latest designs on multiple marketplaces including Farfetch, 24S, and Harrods.com, ensuring faster delivery times and seamless return management.

The 75-year-old fashion house is no stranger to web3 as it released its 1st phygital Unicorn sneaker collection in February and unveiled Villa Balmain, its metaverse mansion that digitally rendered Pierre Balmain’s IRL property constructed in the late 50s during Miami’s Art Basel last year.

Swedish-American brand BLK DNM introduces BLK DNM Society, integrating blockchain-powered hardware and software into its garments. Each BLK DNM garment is assigned a unique identity through microchips, enabling authentication, combating counterfeiting, and rewarding sustainable practices.

The initiative seeks to redefine the consumer-clothing relationship, transforming garments into evolving pieces of history and owners forming a virtual community with brand influence and voting rights.

🔥 Hot Links

• Major updates on Gucci x BAYC collab emerge. (Link)

• The global virtual fitting room market is expected to reach $20.63B by 2030. (Link)

• AR company Zero10, with recent collabs with Coach and Tommy Hilfiger, unveils its AR Store prototype, carrying out the operations of a traditional 100sqm store. (Link)

• Top 5 virtual fashion influencers to follow in 2023. (Link)

• While AI is changing China’s apparel sector, it can’t replace designers just yet. (Link)

• Booth AI rolls out its new workflow-driven image production platform to quickly and cost-effectively scale product photography for retailers and brands. (Link)

• Sydney-based digital fashion label Myami collaborates with students at Central Saint Martins to explore the intersection of digital and physical fashion. (Link)

• Pangaia employs “high-tech naturalism” to bring eco-friendly fashion to travelers at Dubai airport. (Link)

• British designer Charles Jeffrey proposed a joyful Loverboy collection for a new Carolean era in Britain - with a little help from AI. (Link)

• In fashion, Vogue delves on how the “doubleness of stage managed and retouched images, plus advancements in AI and deep fake technology continue to splinter reality.” (Link)

• Fast-fashion retailers are after a bigger slice of digital fashion-savvy India's online market. (Link)

• London-based Kimbe Fashion House opens its virtual boutique doors in September, giving shoppers a virtual-only shopping experience. (Link)

• Up close and personal with Fernando Penhos Zaga, Mexico-based metaverse fashion photographer. (Link)

• Virtual influencers are shaking things up in the world of NFTs and fashion. (Link)

• The metaverse is making luxury handbags and video games strange bedfellows. (Link)

• A 1st look at the new Gucci Visions exhibit in Florence, staged at no less than the Gucci Garden. (Link)

• Meet the 24-year-old metaverse fashion designer who graduates top of her class and boasts a 750 GMAT. (Link)

--

All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse.

Stay informed via our Twitter and Subscribe here to get your metaverse fashion news every Tuesday.