Fashion brand Lacoste opened its first virtual store that includes products viewable in 360 degrees as a stepping stone to the metaverse.
The store contains three rooms, including a token-gated room for its existing NFT holders, using tech provided by Arianee in partnership with the store creator Emperia VR. In December, this VIP room will also drop ‘loot boxes’ for its NFT holders to collect and win prizes.
“The personalization of shopping experiences, whether physical, digital or immersive, is the key to the future of web3 customer journey”, said Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, Arianee CEO and Co-founder.
In June 2022, Lacoste announced the UNDW3 community for its NFTs. The most recent NFT release featured 11,212 profile pictures (PFPs) of its iconic crocodile logo. Initially selling at 0.1 ETH in September, the pieces now have a floor price of 0.039 ETH, which is around $50, with several unique pieces still listed on the Opensea platform.
While not strictly web3, one of Lacoste’s first virtual collaborations was with the videogame Minecraft: A virtual Croco island and a Minecraft filter was developed for the game, with simultaneous real-world outfits created with the game in mind.
Lacoste is not the only clothing brand creating virtual reality pieces. Ralph Lauren partnered with the popular video game “Fortnite” to release a digital apparel and accessories collection in the Fortnite Item Shop.
According to a McKinsey report, virtual fashion will edge closer to the mainstream, with brands expanding into the metaverse as a novel way to engage with a high-value Gen-Z audience. An example fashion engaging in the metaverse is the case of the ‘Gucci Garden’ where the Roblox gaming universe saw 19 million visitors.
