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Gucci will launch its own virtual world on digital real estate platform The Sandbox, as it expands its presence in the metaverse for its Gen Z-focused platform Gucci Vault.
The brand has purchased an undisclosed amount of land on The Sandbox, which lets people and brands buy and develop virtual real estate. Gucci and The Sandbox will create an interactive fashion experience based on Gucci Vault, described by Gucci as an experimental space envisioned by Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, which houses its metaverse projects.
Additional details on what the virtual world will entail were not disclosed by Gucci, but the brand took to its Discord server to announce that it is in the process of building immersive experiences on The Sandbox, which it confirmed to Vogue Business on Wednesday. According to The Sandbox, select metaverse fashion items created by Gucci designers will be available for people to buy, own and use in their own Sandbox experience. The space, according to The Sandbox, “will be inspired by childhood memories of the search for beauty, which brings you to Gucci Maze”, which will foster conversations about the future of fashion and the metaverse.
Gucci Vault is the umbrella of Gucci’s metaverse-related projects, including NFTs and its Discord server. On Wednesday, it announced it created an Instagram account of the same name. Gucci Vault is also the area of the business that Gucci is using to sell vintage Gucci pieces and pieces from other emerging designers including Collina Strada, Rave Review and Ahluwalia.
Gucci has been ramping up its metaverse strategy over the past year,and is a notable early adopter of digital fashion, virtual worlds and NFTs. Most recently, Gucci partnered with “animated celebrities” company Superplastic to release a collection of 500 NFTs (made up of 10 total designs). Called “Supergucci”, it includes a three-part drop of NFTs that come with physical ceramic sculptures, each priced at 1.5 ethereum (just over $3,000 at the time of writing). The drops began on 1 February, with purchase access limited to previous owners of Superplastic’s NFTs and those with a special access code provided via Gucci Vault’s Discord server. A third public drop was planned, but has since been postponed amid concerns of bots claiming all the NFTs. SuperPlastic and Gucci are keeping 20 of the NFTs for internal use, according to the brand.
Gucci has yet to share more details on its roadmap, which are a common feature of metaverse projects, often shared via a dedicated channel on brand Discord servers. Gucci is also currently recruiting a full-time manager of its Discord server; according to the job post, responsibilities include overseeing “megafans” of its NFT projects, and staying on the “bleeding edge” of the community platform trends. Applicants must submit information such as their Twitter account and favourite NFT-related memes, in place of a traditional CV.
The Sandbox and Decentraland have become a new area of focus for brands and designers, as the metaverse platforms enable people to buy, rent out and develop virtual real estate, including stores and event venues, as well as sell virtual goods. Auction house Sotheby’s, for example, operates a virtual gallery in Decentraland. In late March, Decentraland will host a Metaverse Fashion Week during which a range of luxury and high street brands and independent designers are expected to show virtual goods, some of which can be purchased both digitally and physically. Meanwhile, creative agency Al Dente, which consults with a number of luxury brands, has purchased and is building real estate in The Sandbox to serve as a testing ground for brand clients.
Gucci was the first luxury brand to introduce an NFT, with a one-of-one Aria film auctioned via Christie’s in May, and its two-week experience on Roblox, coinciding with a physical exhibit in Florence, drew attention due to peer-to-peer virtual bag sales that surpassed $4,000.
This piece has been updated to include more information provided by The Sandbox. (9 February 2022)
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