FROM GUCCI TO BALENCIAGA, FASHION IS FASCINATED WITH GAMING

The luxury fashion's fascination with gaming continues its crescendo with top brands bringing their signature looks to the booming world of video games. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, which put many of our day-to-day real life activities on hold, the gaming sector is alive and kicking. And fashion brands are stepping on the accelerator, increasingly taking part in the action. As part of Gucci's 100^th anniversary celebrations, for example, the house revealed a collaboration with Xbox, which in turn feted its 20-year mark, empowered by a community of about three billion aficionados. For the occasion, Gucci's Creative Director Alessandro Michele, created a limited-edition numbered set of 100 pieces characterized by its iconic details: the GG and red-and-blue web motifs. In a similar vein, Moncler partnered with Fortnite, the blockbuster video game launched by Epic Games in 2017, unveiling in-game outfits inspired by the Italian outerwear company’s third RTW collection with 1017 Alyx 9SM. The hero pieces boast Moncler’s signature down puffers, knit caps and sunglasses. Some feature reactive bases that change color from dark to light according to the altitude of the player. Balenciaga also joined forces with Fortnite with a collaboration that blurs the lines between the physical and digital worlds. It takes place in a futuristic city, Strange Times Featured Hub, inspired by Balenciaga's “Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow” setting for the brand’s FW 2021-22 collection. The in-game capsule was also available in select Balenciaga stores and online. Nike fans have a new place on Roblox to connect, create, share experiences and compete: NIKELAND. This bespoke world created by the sports powerhouse features a backdrop of its real-life headquarters inside Roblox’s immersive 3D space, further enhancing Nike's goal to turn sport and play into a lifestyle, based on the claim Dream it. Make it. Play it. Further highlighting its push into the metaverse universe, Nike has acquired RTFKT, a leading and eclectic virtual fashion platform and a well-known creator of virtual sneakers. It uses the latest in game engines, NFT, block chain authentication and augmented reality, combined with manufacturing expertise to create one-of-a-kind sneakers and digital artifacts.