Burberry's Fashion Game Journey

by SHOWstudio on 1 November 2022

Today, Burberry launch an in-game experience on Minecraft. How did we get here?

Today, Burberry launch an in-game experience on Minecraft. How did we get here?

Fashion still has its sights set on the Metaverse, despite rising doubts of how this future constellation of virtual and real hybrid experiences will fully materialise. British heritage brand Burberry have been a pioneering force when it comes to fashion and gaming's budding relationship, today launching an immersive experience on Minecraft.

Let's rewind to to 2019 when Burberry first placed their bets on taking the e-commerce shopping experience into the Metaverse, releasing their first video game B Bounce to launch a puffer jacket collection. Players were encouraged by the opportunity to win special prizes, including a real-life iteration of a jacket, also virtually rendered as skins for the game. B Bounce was followed up a year later by Ratberry, and then came Burberry's debut multi-player game B Surf. Up until 2021 all these digital experiences were produced in-house by Burberry, however the brand had also collaborated with Nick Knight to create their first virtual TB Summer Monogram campaign the previous year, starring Kendall Jenner as an avatar.

Since then, Burberry have launched Riccardo Tisci's (who recently exited the brand) Lola bag on gaming platform Roblox, and worked with Mythical Games on their first NFT collection Blankos Block Party housed in a bespoke virtual space for players. The brand's next move, however, is a continuation of their collaboration with Minecraft, and marks the first time the brand has created a fully immersive and branded in-game experience.

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios, a subsidiary of Microsoft, and players can explore the world solo or join in the adventure with friends, as they play an active part of creating the architecture of the space. Partnering with Minecraft mapmakers Blockception has allowed for Burberry to tell their own story in the Metaverse, creating a custom world which traverses it's London base and natural landscapes. As players explore the space, they'll be joined by custom characters including a Burberry Equestrian Knight and be able to explore Thomas Burberry Monogram maze and the Burberry animal kingdom.

Titled Burberry: Freedom to Go Beyond, the physical partnered capsule collection invites users to adventure through the world of Burberry. Player's avatars can wear five character skins inspired by the collection including the Heritage Trench Coat, which consumers can also buy for themselves in the real world. Players must journey on a fast-paced adventure through four element-inspired levels - air, water, earth and fire - and restore harmony to the realms, fighting against an entity known as Nexus, collecting Thomas Burberry keys along the way. They'll also spot Burberry models who join them in the space atop plinths, rendered in Minecraft's signature pixelation.

‘Through our partnership, we will bring the joy of gaming to the world of luxury fashion and introduce new audiences to the endless creative possibilities within Minecraft', Kayleen Walters, Head of Franchise Development at Mojang Studios, told press in a statement. Burberry's Director of Channel Innovation Philip Hennche added, ‘With a shared belief in adventure, community and the power of creativity to open spaces, the natural synergy between both of our brands has allowed us to connect our respective worlds in a way that is unexpected and yet entirely natural.'

The men's and womenswear capsule collection includes a complete wardrobe ranging from the iconic trench coat to logo-print sweatshirts, hoodies and accessories. The world of Minecraft feeds into the collection with graphics of the in-game creature Creeper, alongside landscape scenes and graphics from Burberry: Freedom to Go Beyond. Burberry and Minecraft have also made a donation to help protect 500,000 trees and plant 25,000 trees through the environmental organization Conservation International, as a further ode to the outdoors.

You can download up to 15 in-game Burberry skins from the Minecraft marketplace from 17:00 GMT today, and the capsule collection is available online exclusively at Burberry.com as well as seven global stores and pop-ups, where Burberry have staged immersive window displays and digital screens. The brand has also launched an exclusive filter on Instagram and bespoke emojis for the Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili.

Explore

Interview

Turning Kendall Jenner into a CGI avatar for Burberry’s Virtual Campaign

28 August 2020
Hetty Mahlich called up digital artist Tom Wandrag to find out how the Burberry CGI campaign featuring Kendall Jenner was made.
News

The Real and Virtual Worlds Collide For Lacoste and Minecraft Collaboration

14 March 2022
The next development in fashion's recent foray into the world of gaming sees Lacoste team up with Minecraft in an attempt to 'build bridges between two worlds', designing custom outfits for the virtual game characters.
News

Introducing Burberry's Newest NFT With Blankos Block Party

20 June 2022
Burberry is making another trip to the meta verse with its latest Blankos Block Party collaboration.
Back to top