Meta Avatar
Meta, a social technology company, created by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, brings together apps and technologies. Meta’s goal is to bring the metaverse to life. The metaverse is a combination of virtual reality and mixed reality worlds. Meta recently announced the future of avatars. In which Meta created a new avatar fashion store. All are accessible between Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Meta’s new fashion store is like the ones in Roblox and Fortnite. In which Roblox and Fortnite provide clothing upgrades, character designs, or skins. Which all are purchased and sometimes free. Meta takes inspiration from this by enabling users to customize their characters.
“We’re launching our Avatars Store on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger so you can buy digital clothes to style your avatar. Digital goods will be an important way to express yourself in the metaverse and a big driver of the creative economy. I’m excited to add more brands and bring this to VR soon too. Eva Chen and I tried out some of the new looks from Balenciaga, Prada, and Thom Browne – a change of pace from my terrycloth sweater.” Mark Zuckerberg through Facebook.
Luxury fashion is increasingly partnering with technology to create a popular collaboration. Last year in Fortnite, Balenciaga introduced some skins for their in-game characters. In Roblox, players can visit Gucci Town which includes a virtual store. Zuckerberg says that more brands will collaborate with the avatar store soon. Through Facebook, Zuckerberg announced that digital goods are important in the metaverse in which he will add more brands and bring the features to VR. Zuckerberg announced that soon enough they will be partnering with luxury brands.
Items will vary from $2.99 to $8.99 but will also offer hundreds of free outfits. Zuckerberg got on Instagram with Eva Chen, the vice president of fashion partnerships at Instagram, to discuss the new avatar store. Showing Zuckerberg various outfits, he can wear varying from Balenciaga to Prada, to a night out. Zuckerberg, on Instagram Live, said that “A huge part of how people express themselves is through what they wear.” To make an avatar on Instagram, users will go to their profile picture, edit the profile, and then navigate the ‘create avatar’ option. Then they will view hundreds of options to create your own customized metaverse avatar!
The Avatar Store will be treated as an open marketplace allowing brands and companies to join. The store is open in Canada, Mexico, Thailand, and the U.S. Meta is providing a digital world in which your avatar is fully customizable embracing self-expression. Would you shop at this store?