Coach moves into metaverse via Roblox and Zepeto link-ups

Talking about “a world where fashion meets fantasy”, American brand Coach has announced its entry into “leading immersive platforms and virtual experiences” by partnering with key platforms Roblox and Zepeto.

Those partnerships are bringing the Spring 2024 collection — designed under the ongoing creative leadership of Briton Stuart Vevers — to the digital space. 

The company said the move “supports Coach’s ‘Find Your Courage’ campaign, fostering self-expression and allowing users to explore their identities with themed digital wearables”.

The campaign “follows virtual human imma as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and ultimately finds the courage to be real. On her journey, imma travels through five different themed worlds, each created to speak to a different step in the journey toward self-expression, and each with its own unique set of ready-to-wear pieces and accessories”.

The company added that “as an extension of ‘Find Your Courage’, Coach is bringing three of these worlds into the immersive and social avatar space”. The three are Colorful World, Summer World and Floral World where users can style their avatars with Coach pieces.

They’re available to tens of millions of users in Roblox’s Fashion Famous 2 and Fashion Klossette as well as via Zepeto from 19 July.

This collaboration marks the first-ever luxury brand integration in Fashion Famous 2. 

We’re told that “fans can effortlessly express every pixel of their personality by coordinating free Coach-inspired fashion items or purchasing pieces from the original Coach 2024 Spring Collection with in-game currency. Participants can enter these transformed worlds, coordinate the perfect Coach outfit for the competition theme and walk for the judges in hopes of winning the most points. Coach’s cross-experience scavenger hunt also offers fans the opportunity to win their very own virtual Coach piece by collecting hidden items and competing on the runways in both Fashion Klossette and Fashion Famous 2”.

As for Zepeto, there’s an exclusive video booth inspired by the campaign’s Colorful World. With over 400 million users, it allows avatars to be styled with the latest Coach collections. Users can create branded user-generated content, including short form-videos. Coach is the first luxury brand to release a limited-edition item on Zepero, with a virtual store offering the label’s items purchasable with premium in-game currency.

It’s all part of a big drive to reach Gen Z. Roblox research has shown that 84% of this demographic “say their avatar style influences their real-world fashion choices, and over 50% prioritise their avatars’ style over their physical appearance”. 

By choosing Roblox and Zepeto, Coach said it “aims to reach millions through immersive virtual and social experiences that merge fashion with digital self-expression”.

The company added that the development makes “high-end fashion more accessible and interactive than ever before”.