By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The apparel retailer H&M has launched the Loooptopia Experience on Roblox, promoting sustainable fashion choices.
The program interweaves the two major trends in fashion today, the first being the drive to make fashion more sustainable, and the second to take part in the growing world of virtual fashion in the metaverse.
“H&M Loooptopia is an immersive experience on Roblox that lets players experiment with materials and patterns in a playful way, creating the next virtual garment and wardrobe for their avatar,” the company says. “Partnering with metaverse studio Dubit, H&M’s new interactive online experience also puts circular actions at the heart of the fun.”
And by circular, H&M means recycling and reusing apparel items. A video of the new Loooptopia space in Roblox shows player avatars putting old clothing into a fantastical machine, which then outputs an entirely new T-shirt.
“We loved collaborating with H&M to build the H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox- the place on Roblox where anybody can be a fashion designer,” says Andrew Douthwaite, Chief Commercial Officer, Dubit. “H&M wanted to offer an experience that promotes fun and sustainability, in keeping with their brand DNA of Style, Creativity and Culture. It’s been amazing to see the concept evolve from the initial design and workshop through to this iconic launch.”
The H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox was designed an immersive 3D experience that encourages social interaction, with a blend of mini-games, styling sessions, alternate worlds, events and more. Dubit says it’s designed to encourage Roblox users to experiment with their digital identity, but also to learn about fashion and ‘circularity’, which is H&M’s overall phrase to capture the idea of recycling and trading already used clothing, or to buy used clothing.
Linda Li, Head of Customer Activation & Marketing with H&M Americas, says the virtual world of Roblox allows the company to express these ideas directly to consumers in a new and engaging way.
“People who shop and wear H&M garments and accessories are increasingly spending time in virtual spaces and digital worlds,” says Li. “The H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox is now allowing us to explore new ways to engage with our current and new customers in the places they love to be, both online and offline. In the coming years, H&M will continue to explore this fast-growing expanse of virtual and augmented realities.”
Users can style their avatar with newly created clothes, and compliment these with accessories, dance moves, music tracks and special effects to create an amazing performance on a fashion runway. They can also catch up with friends to trade clothes, take selfies or just admire each other’s latest creations. When it’s time to change up a style, they can recycle old clothes to earn super-rare elements and become the star of the runway show.
“At H&M we want to encourage the emerging generation of digital natives to express themselves through fashion both off and on screen. H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox is an exciting new world that unleashes creativity and lets players create and evolve their virtual wardrobe on Roblox, so they can feel the most like themselves through their avatar,” says Max Heirbaut, Global Head of Brand Experience, Metaverse, for H&M.
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