Minecraft X Burberry: Entering the Metaverse

Minecraft is opening a portal to a new Nether: high fashion. In a new collaboration between Burberry, and the acclaimed video game, Minecraft, the fashion and gaming industries open the doors “for the modern explorer” in a new era of consumerism and brand advertisement.

The block-animation game, Minecraft partnered with Burberry leading the creation of a “capsule collection and real-world experiences, each filled with creativity, exploration and self-expression. Inspired by the fast-paced in-game adventure into the unknown, the Burberry x Minecraft capsule collection fuses in-game motifs with unmistakable Burberry icons.” To me, the appeal of such a collaboration is a wise move for the brand, spearheading a new transition of the real world online.

Burberry is leading the wave of virtual fashion. They have braved the taboo conversation about non-physical clothing and taken their designs online. Burberry is not the first, however. In July, the Digital Meta Closet, DressX joined with Meta to produce a line of clothes which could be purchased online for downloadable renderings that allow users to photograph themselves in the clothing without ever wearing a piece. Partnerships quickly sprung up with companies like Bershka, Printemps, American Eagle, Iris van Herpen and Dundas, but also with avatar creators like Roblox and Decentraland.

Early market enterers are calling upon investors to join them as they leap into the unknown. The question of the metaverse leaves many wary. Burberry’s connection to Minecraft helped ease users into the idea of online clothing with a video game collaboration. Minecraft engages more than 171 million enthusiasts worldwide. Such an audience is likely to be largely influenced by not only the branding of Burberry but could translate into real life positive recognition with the brand.

The demographic of people who are learning through creation on the online world passively absorb the fashion influences of the brand. Spending so long engaging with a brand creates a positive rapport, whether looking to bring their online experiences to life or otherwise, it is still unclear if this partnership will translate into the booming sales that motivate such publicity and collaboration from a public relations viewpoint. Burberry’s collaboration with Minecraft will certainly not be the last partnership of its kind. I expect to see numerous companies jumping on the bandwagon, perhaps joining Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto and other games, marketing their products on virtual avatars as influencers. However, the Burberry collaboration does raise the halting question of how designers will begin to create lines of numerous designs for release in seasons of the game and how these launches might impact game play, the structure of monetizing branding and a new market online.

For Burberry, the looks translate into reality as the brands replicate the designs created for the video games, allowing enthusiasts to purchase their realities in real time. Burberry carries lofty price tags, ranging from $910 for a logo print cotton sweatshirt, or $2,990 for a monogrammed car coat. While the partnership was unexpected, Burberry leaders say that the brand’s values of creativity and adventure have always always been closely aligned. Director of channel innovation Phillip Hennche described to Vogue Business that “We’ve created something that feels very us: very elevated, very fashion, very luxury — but also very Minecraft,” Hennche says… Minecraft is famously blocky and pixelated — not an obvious choice for a luxury brand. To Burberry, this was another opportunity to lean toward the unexpected, opting for a less classically high-fidelity world in which to create designs and activities… the cube is very much part of Burberry’s visual language, from the brand’s fashion shoots to modular visual merchandising in-store and the Burberry check, so the chance to experiment with this style was welcome.”

Looking to the future of the Metaverse, I hold similar inhibitions to the latent investors. Spending hard-earned cash on clothes that I can post pictures in but never wear feels impractical to a college student, but to the fashion brands leading a charge against consumerism, it perhaps presents an opportunity to engage in the anti-consumerism space while also opening avenues for unbridled innovation and creation. I think that this bid for the future is unconventional, uncomfortable, but is the future. It’s time that we listen and begin to understand, because our beloved avatar, Steve, just got fashionable. It’s time we catch up.

Source: Burberry