On September 20th, the luxury fashion brand Balenciaga announced it had teamed up with Epic Games' hit title Fortnite. This collaboration saw the two companies work together to produce a line of clothing apparel both in-game and in real life.
This line of products features four different outfits that can be worn by characters in the game, Balenciaga-themed pickaxes, gliders, and wraps, free sprays, and so much more. The companies also launched Fortnite x Balenciaga t-shirts and hoodies which can be purchased in real life for $425 and $725, respectively.
"On September 20, 2021, at 8 PM ET, Digital Fashion comes to life in Fortnite. See Ramirez, Doggo, and others express themselves in a whole new way with help from the Balenciaga Fit Set. Show the world your unexpected side with the Set's apparel, free Sprays, the Strange Times Featured Hub, and a live Fortography campaign," it reads on the Epic Games website.
This is not the first partnership between a luxury fashion brand and a major video game title. In 2019, Louis Vuitton launched a line of League of Legends apparel.
I love designer brands. I love when they engage with games. However, I don't get this. I don't see the intersection here. The Lamborghini and Rocket League partnerships made sense because it got young kids to dream of buying a luxury sports car one day. I just don't get what the play is with a Balenciaga collaboration. No child is buying a $1000 shirt. I could buy the idea that Balenciaga is trying to build a younger following that may end up being consumers down the line. Still, I don't think you need to create these IRL products. You could do skins and expand brand awareness, but who's buying this $1000 shirt? I think this shirt is basically a meme. I can't take anybody who buys this seriously. All of these products will end up being re-sold on eBay for two or three times the original price.
(All information was provided by Epic Games and Kotaku)
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