I remember my first introduction to Barbie dolls. I mean, unlike other kids, I wasn’t a fan of the whole idea of these plastic dolls, ‘cos what am I supposed to do? But what fascinated me about them was the idea of creating their looks, which is probably the only great thing about them. I still remember the time, when my cousin, who was a 11-year-old herself, ran an entire Barbie household, with a specific tiny closet, shoe collection, kitchen, bedroom and hair clips assigned to her favourite Barbie doll, who btw would change hair colour under the sun. That’s exactly when I said, ‘ya this looks cool’ (not yet convinced).
And in times today, we get a chance to dress up our virtual avatars, assigned to us by social networking platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram etc. While, I was low-key excited to dress my Snapchat avatar, with outfits picked from a limited edition, this new update by Facebook parent Meta, hopes to take this dressing-up game, a bit more seriously.
Yes, you read that right! Meta is all geared up to launch its very own online store. Bridging the gap between users and their onscreen avatars, the online store will help Messenger niwaasis with a wide range of clothing items, handpicked from luxury labels like–Thom Browne, Prada, and Balenciaga. Incorporating suits, monogrammed hoodies, funky outfits and more, every piece would be roughly priced between $2.99 to $8.99 which is INR 233.24 to 701.27. Meta will continue to add more brand names to its roster with the introduction of VR, soon coming your way.
Announcing the same, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in conversation with Eva Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, talked about the various designs and opportunities that this partnership is hoping to explore. The ‘Avatars Store’ is gearing up to launch this coming week. The latest update by the team aims to help users connect with their avatars in the metaverse, and turn them into a tool for self-expression in this unique verse.
Need a fresh fit for your avatar? We're launching our Avatars Store on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger so you can buy digital clothes. Mark Zuckerberg and @evachen212 tried out new looks from @BALENCIAGA @Prada @ThomBrowne ✨https://t.co/7SN0hdYz2D pic.twitter.com/Bp9zeK2ZNl
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) June 17, 2022
Also Read: Indian Label Papa Don’t Preach By Shubhika Is Set To Enter The Metaverse
This is definitely an interesting addition to the range Meta is trying to offer its users. In February, the company introduced 3D avatars across Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, as a part of its collective goal of building a metaverse. While, we are yet to find out the number of people, who would wanna shed their pockets to decorate their avatars, this latest update indicates Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the future, which is still unclear but nothing less interesting!
Image Credits: Instagram/Twitter
