Specifically, the clothing brand’s filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from February 17, were revealed to the general public in a tweet published by trademark attorney Michael Kondoudis on February 22.
According to that tweet, the trademark filings cover NFTs; cryptocurrency transaction software; virtual clothing, footwear, eyewear, and sports gear; online stores for virtual goods; extended reality virtual environments; advertising, education, and the provision of virtual real estate services.
Lacoste is hardly the first brand to dive headfirst into the metaverse and the world of NFTs. In fact, the fashion sector has led the charge into this new technology, as well as forging new ways to use licensing in the metaverse. Other fashion houses working extensively in the metaverse include Gucci, Balenciaga, Hermès and Forever21, just to name a few. As well, luxury watch makers like Tag Heuer and Hublot have adopted cryptocurrencies as a way to purchase their goods, while Yves Saint Laurent, Victoria’s Secret https://www.thelicensingletter.com/metaverse-licensing-minecraft-stylin-with-lacoste-fashion-collab/and Rolex are among those who have filed for a variety of metaverse trademarks.
Metaverse Licensing: Minecraft Stylin’ With Lacoste Fashion Collab
The trend encompasses many other types of brands outside the fashion world as well. While the initial rush of trademark applications related to NFTs have slowed somewhat, there were 7,746 applications recorded in 2022, an increase of 260% over 2021. Similarly, metaverse trademark applications grew by 200% year over year to 5,850 filings, according to the trademark lawyer Kondoudis.
The legal filings are also not that surprising, given that Lacoste has been operating in the metaverse since November, when it opened its first-ever virtual store.
Lacoste worked with the developer Emperia to build its virtual reality shopping experience, that included a variety of ‘gamification elements’ to make the shopping experience more enjoyable for consumers.
The store also played with Lacoste’s iconic logo, as customers enter the virtual store through a crocodile’s mouth, where they find themselves in a virtual showroom featuring five shoppable, seasonal products with a 360-degree view.
The second room of the metaverse store offers a gamification feature that enables customers to interact with more products in the Christmas range. There’s also a third token-gated room at the end of the store, open only to VIP customers who are members of Lacoste’s UNDW3 Web 3.0 community, and possess a Lacoste NFT.
“Lacoste is bridging the gap between holiday shopping and gamification with this unique virtual experience,” said Olga Dogadkina, co-founder & CEO of Emperia.”Tapping into a wide variety of demographics with the various rooms and product ranges enables Lacoste to attract a wide-range of demographics.
“Having a presence in the metaverse during such a significant shopping season and utilizing NFTs in a practical way that creates a sense of community, will take Lacoste to the next level, allowing them to leverage e-commerce and web3 innovation like never before, positioning the brand as fashion trailblazer.”
