Meta stocks up with virtual fashion

The Future. Meta is launching an Avatar Store, giving users the ability to outfit their digital selves with virtual fits from brands like Balenciaga and Prada. Coupled with Meta’s new creator-monetization tools, the company may be trying to build a working, democratized fashion economy that can be transported into the metaverse. Could Meta be the future mall of the metaverse?

Avatar chic
Meta is getting fashionable.

• Input reports that Meta’s Avatar Store will be stocked with virtual pieces from Balenciaga, Prada, and Thom Browne.
• The attire will be accessible on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
• More brands will become available in the coming months, including ones that exist only virtually.

Meta says allowing creators to monetize their own designs is the next step as they’ve allowed users to create avatars since 2019 and with free virtual clothing to outfit them. Don’t call it Facebook’s Etsy.

Gather ‘round the Marketplace
The Avatar Store is part of Meta’s larger push into the creator economy.

• It announced yesterday a Creator Marketplace (like TikTok’s) on Instagram that allows brands to find creators they want to collaborate with on content.
• It’s also expanding its NFT test on Instagram, with a test coming to Facebook in the near future, according to TechCrunch.

It’s not hard to imagine that each of these separate features could coalesce into something exciting for virtual-clothing creators. Prepare for a future where an up-and-coming virtual designer is tapped by a legacy fashion house to make clothes for them, and do streetwear-like limited drops as NFTs — making even more money for everyone involved.