BALENCIAGA, under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia, has transformed from a fashion brand specializing in traditional haute couture to one that caters to both the Z generation and modern ready-to-wear fashion, as well as a brand that has recently revived haute couture; even on a macro level, it has become an infinite creative entity.
Recently, brand CEO Cédric Charbit attended the annual summit “2021 VOICES” by fashion authority “BoF”, discussing BALENCIAGA’s future goals, revealing that the brand’s next step will transcend modern fashion culture and create a “new world” exclusive to BALENCIAGA.
Cédric Charbit revealed that the BALENCIAGA parent company Kering has created a professional department for the brand to assist in venturing into the “metaverse” and exploring marketing and business opportunities within it. Even before the global pandemic, the development of virtual fashion had become a focus within BALENCIAGA, with the brand not only creating virtual fashion shows during the pandemic but also releasing its Fall 2021 collection with the concept of a “virtual gaming world.” Later, they even collaborated with the popular global gaming platform Fortnite to develop a series of in-game character outfits for players to use.
These words, if they had been said two months ago, probably wouldn’t have resonated with many people. However, with the world’s largest social platform Facebook announcing in early November that its parent company would be renamed “Meta,” the development of the “metaverse” immediately became something that could happen the next second.
Bringing together the developments and experiments of the past two years, Cédric Charbit sees fashion and major brands having more opportunities to interact with consumers in the upcoming “metaverse.” “Utility is currently the missing focus in digital fashion, but this is something that takes huge and important steps every day,” shared Cédric Charbit. He expects today’s consumers to become “active participants” in the brands they care about and follow, and compared to the current interactions between consumers and major luxury brands through “Like,” “Comment,” or “Shop,” Cédric Charbit believes BALENCIAGA can take it to the next level.”
It is worth noting that another leading brand under the Kering Group, GUCCI, has recently held a VR fashion exhibition on Roblox and opened a limited store based on the concept of “metaverse” in the classic virtual world game The Sims. After the group established a new team for BALENCIAGA in the “metaverse,” what changes will it bring? As is well known, the “metaverse” is currently rapidly emerging in the online world. Will BALENCIAGA and the Kering Group create a new surreal fashion realm in the near future? Everyone is eagerly anticipating!
資料及圖片來源：Web Photo
