The legacy brand has joined forces with gaming site Fortnite to release a hybrid physical and digital capsule collection.
Fashion juggernaut Ralph Lauren dove headfirst into the metaverse in August 2021 when it designed a digital collection for the 3D avatar platform Zepeto. Since then, the brand’s metaverse aspirations have only grown, with Ralph Lauren’s CEO heralding the metaverse—and its mutually beneficial relationship to hype culture— as means of attracting a younger customer base to the legacy brand. The house’s latest foray into the digital realm comes in the form of a digital and physical capsule collection in partnership with the popular online video game Fortnite.
Sold in the Fortnite Item Shop, the digital collection consists of two virtual ensembles with alternate styles and virtual cosmetics, available in the Fortnite Item Shop from November 5. The physical apparel capsule collection, which is based on the digital designs (not the other way around as is usually the case), will be available from November 2. An additional product drop will launch globally on December 1.
But this collaboration is unlike any the brand has done before: for the first time in history, the brand’s emblem, the Polo Pony, which was historically archetypal of America’s yuppies and WASPish elite, has undergone an amusing, hype-friendly redesign. In the emblem remake, the polo player is sitting atop Fortnite’s signature fluffy llama, “a testament to the Company’s belief in the power of the metaverse,” according to the capsule’s press release.
To drum up anticipation (and hype) for the launch, the brand is virtually hosting a series of activations intended to engage the gaming community, including a Twitch Livestream launch event, and will be the first luxury brand to co-host a player tournament in Fortnite.
“Ralph Lauren has always designed dreams and created new worlds, and today, our collaboration with Fortnite will deliver a groundbreaking experience to a new community of next-generation players and consumers,” says David Lauren, Chief Branding and Innovation Officer at Ralph Lauren.
Historically, Ralph Lauren has nurtured a customer base primarily over the age of 35. Meanwhile, 63% of Fortnite players are between 18 and 24. Despite its older demographic, Ralph Lauren has a large online audience and presence: in 2020, the brand accounted for 12.8 percent of online luxury brand visits, ranking only behind Michael Kors, while the brand’s Instagram has a following of over 14 million. Although this is significant and marks the brand’s success thus far at garnering a younger, more tech-savvy audience, it pales in comparison to Fortnite, which has over 350 million overall users,72% of which are male.
As such, it can be assumed that this joint venture will further boost the brand’s sales among the under-25 gaming market, with a particular focus on menswear.
Images courtesy of Ralph Lauren
