Fashion brands are taking over the metaverses and will not stop, and we continue to get acquainted with the brightest cases. In the first article, we analyzed What fashion brands can be found in Roblox. And in this one, we will dive into the fashion world of Fortnite. First, a little about the game itself.
What is Fornite?
This survival game consists of thousands of different games: some of them were created by Epic Games, but most appeared thanks to the players themselves. Fortnite currently has over 400 million accounts worldwide and around 80 million monthly active users. The video game has a more sophisticated and fancy design than Roblox, thanks to the Unreal Engine.
Compared to Roblox, which has over 200 million monthly active users, 70% of the Roblox audience is 24 and under, and over 60% of the Fortnite audience is 25 and over, according to the Geeiq dashboard. Fortnite has a more solvent audience and is likelier to show returns in the real world, and digital purchases will move into physical ones.
Balenciaga
The first and most high-profile collaboration was the Fortnite Balenciaga collaboration in the fall of 2021.
Demna Gvasalia, Creative Director of Balenciaga, notes that the partnership with Epic Games started even earlier, with their video game Afterworld, which they created using Unreal Engine for the Fall 2021 collection show.
The Balenciaga-Fortnite collaboration featured skins for four fan-favorite characters – Doggo, Ramirez, Knight, and Banshee.
It was this case that at one time caused a great stir in the field of digital fashion and not only since the release of physical merchandise accompanied the collaboration.
Nike
In 2019, sports giant Nike introduced the exclusive Nike Air Jordan apparel, which was available from the in-game Fortnite store. And already in 2021, as part of a collaboration with Jordan, the Air Jordan IX Cool Gray sneakers began to be sold in a virtual format before they were in a physical one.
Ralph Lauren
The other day, luxury brand Ralph Lauren announced a collaboration with Fortnite, creating a first-of-its-kind phygital collaboration ( you can find out what phygital clothing is in our article ).
The physical outfit will go on sale on November 2nd and consist of a polo shirt, sweatshirt, and a pair of boots, while the virtual collection will be released on the Fortnite store on November 5th. Ralph Lauren’s partnership with Fortnite is the first time physical clothing will be released alongside a digital collection.
The boots, explicitly designed for Fortnite, will be made as physical shoes in the coming months, allowing players to wear a replica of the in-game shoe, just like their avatar. Prices for virtual items range from 1300 to 1500 Vbux or $10.39 to $11.99, and physical items range from $59.50 to $188.
The brand also plans to host a virtual Fortnite tournament and live stream on Twitch, making the Ralph Lauren and Fortnite partnership the largest of its past partnerships with Bitmoji, Roblox, and Zepeto.
Moncler
Also, an exciting collaboration was the Italian brand Moncler, which created images in its spirit. An outfit inspired by Matthew Williams’ 6 Moncler 1017 Alyx 9SM collection that celebrates light and dark. Depending on your climbing height in the game, it can also change hue from light to dark.
Armani
And last but not least, the case perfume brand Armani Beauty entered the metaverse for the first time last month with a Fortnite game called “Rewrite the Code.” It is inspired by the new men’s fragrance Armani Code Parfum.
Players collect code numbers, and each race is its mini-game that uses various olfactory ingredients from the Armani Code perfume composition, such as iris, cedar, and sage.
In 2020, 77% of Fortnite players said they made in-app purchases, most of which were skins. The average user was spending $102.42 a year, and now, with the arrival of luxury brands, that figure should be completely different.
“Fashion has a long history in the Fortnite community, where players have the freedom to appear in our world the way they want,” said Adam Sussman, president of Epic Games. “Expression is one of the things that makes Fortnite so unique.”
In any case, we made sure that this platform is attractive for brands and boasts a more solvent audience. But also do not forget that such collaborations of fashion brands contribute to the increasing development of virtual clothing and digital fashion.
