US' Ralph Lauren & Epic Games to launch digital apparel collection

For the first time in Ralph Lauren’s five-decade history, the Polo Pony has been specially redesigned to commemorate the collaboration with Fortnite, a testament to the company’s belief in the power of the metaverse. In a first for Ralph Lauren, the collection was concepted as a digital-first capsule, creatively influenced by a gaming design aesthetic. The digital outfits showcase Ralph Lauren’s signature artistry and craftsmanship, rendered in high fidelity with incredibly rich detail, while the physical capsule collection translates the outfits into the real world. Underlining this interplay between digital and physical, the Boot will come to life as a replica of the digital version shown in the Fortnite Outfits, and will be available in the coming months, Ralph Lauren said in a press release.

In celebration of the launch, Ralph Lauren will host a series of activations to authentically engage the gaming community, including a Twitch livestream launch event, and will be the first luxury brand to cohost a player tournament in Fortnite. The collaboration builds on Ralph Lauren’s long track record in digital innovation and storytelling. From pioneering one of the first brand e-commerce sites more than 25 years ago, to more recently delivering immersive virtual experiences using augmented reality and launching unique digital products, Ralph Lauren is pushing the boundaries of what it means to develop dynamic new worlds both in real life and online.

Both the digital and physical Polo Stadium collection draws inspiration from the heritage of the brand’s celebrated Stadium collection and Polo Sport line from the 1990s, reimagined for the metaverse. The digital collection will debut two outfits, with alternate styles, and additional in-game cosmetics that will be available for purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop beginning November 5, 2022.

The physical apparel capsule collection is available on the Ralph Lauren website. An additional product drop will launch globally on December 1, 2022, on the website, The Ralph Lauren App, the Polo-67 App, in select Ralph Lauren retail stores and specialty retailers including Bodega, Citadium, Highsnobiety, BSTN, LVL Gaming hub, Beams and CMG Central World.

“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. Our partnership represents a completely fresh take on the Ralph Lauren brand, designing for the metaverse first, that is thoroughly focused on the future. We are excited to continue to lead digital exploration, building on our decades-long track record of pioneering innovation,” David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer at Ralph Lauren, said.

“Authentically expressing yourself is core to the player experience inside Fortnite. Ralph Lauren’s iconic ‘Polo’ design history together with the powerful versatility of Unreal Engine and the unmistakable style of Fortnite have resulted in an inspired campaign and timeless looks that Fortnite players worldwide are sure to love,” Adam Sussman, president at Epic Games, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)