Balenciaga puts twist to collection launch with 'Afterworld' video game

Balenciaga is putting a twist to its next fashion collection debut by pushing out a game titled "Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow", which is said to be a "record-breaking video game". The game is set in 2031 and features the main collection for Fall 2021, according to fashion trade publication WWD.

https://twitter.com/BALENCIAGA/status/1331191157364314112

The upcoming video game leverages the "most advanced technology" for game hosting, as well as environments and characters created using "cutting-edge photogrammetry", WWD said, adding that Afterworld will be the "largest volumetric video project ever undertaken". Quoting Balenciaga, WWD said Afterworld's narrative is based on mythological pasts and "projected futures with timeless archetypes and speculative imagery". It features a hero avatar who experiences different zones and undertakes tasks and interactions. 

According to Balenciaga, its Fall 2021 theme is human destiny and its pre-collection came about by imagining what fashion would look like in 2023. The idea is then carried over into the video game, WWD added. The video game is the newest marketing effort by Balenciaga to announce its fashion collection, after it it experimented with a music video to showcase its Summer 21 pre-collection which featured the song "I wear my sunglasses a night".

Marc Jacobs, for example, announced in May that six of its favourite looks were available for download on the platform. This came as users have been experimenting with reproduced pieces from the runway to wear in the virtual world. Meanwhile, Valentino also created 20 looks for download in the virtual world for its Spring/Summer 2020 and Fall/Winter 2020 collections.

Additionally, Burberry also launched B Surf earlier this year to promote its TB monogram summer collection. The multiplayer game lets players dress up their characters in the brand's outfits before grabbing a surfboard and challenging friends to race around the track.

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