Desperate for your dream designer handbag, but still can't quite justify the increasingly astronomical price-tag? You and us both. But there is another option besides day dreaming, eBay trawling and eventually settling for a high-street copy – and that is to turn your attentions to the virtual world.
From Gucci to Coach, high-end designers have been quick to join in the digital fun by launching their own NFTs. At one point, you could even invest in the holy grail of handbags: a virtual 'Birkin', designed by Mason Rothschild, who was later sued by Hermès for trademark infringement.
And brands are now investing in expanding their offerings within the metaverse directly: namely, on Roblox. With more than 50 million daily users, it's one of the biggest digital platforms in the world – so it's little surprise that the likes of Gucci and Stella McCartney have created special Roblox collections, giving users the opportunity to dress their avatars head-to-toe in designer 'clothes'.
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The latest brand to jump on the virtual fashion bandwagon is none other than Burberry, taking things one step further by launching a limited-edition collection of virtual handbags – that can only be bought and worn on Roblox. Talk about exclusive.
Created in partnership with one of the platform's most established digital fashion designers, Builder Boy, the British heritage brand will drop one bag every 24 hours from Monday, July 11 - which also comes with its own 'emote', a unique action that avatars can perform such as levitation or dance.
The handbags themselves are a virtual take on Burberry's signature Lola style, inspired by nature and the outdoors and 'made' of clouds, water and wild foliage.
'We are thrilled to partner with Roblox to share a virtual handbag collection and to bring our iconic Lola bag to life in an entirely new creative way,' says Rachel Waller, VP of Channel Innovation at Burberry. 'The expression of our digital personas is a fascinating concept and one which we know is increasingly important to our customers. Roblox is a platform built on imagination, community and creativity pillars which are central to our brand, and we’re delighted to bring our virtual products to this community.'
Each of Burberry's limited-edition virtual Lola handbags is available to purchase for 24 hours only on the Roblox Avatar Marketplace, from now until July 15 2022.
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
