Valentino’s New Digital Store Is Our Sims Fantasy

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by

bernhard

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If you’re a millennial, you definitely grew up with the Sims.

The digital game first hit the markets in 2000 and has spawned several iterations over the last 20 years. If you’re anything like us, it was easy to get sucked into a wormhole of gameplay, spending hours constructing that beautiful, hilltop estate fit for royalty.

In nostalgic news, Valentino would now like a word.

The luxury Italian label has answered our Sims build mode dreams releasing a new virtual reality environment where customers can shop collections, enter digital events, and explore the secrets behind the house of Valentino. Set in a sprawling millionaire’s mansion on the Mediterranean coast, Valentino Insights provides an innovative immersive way to shop till you drop.

The VR house is aimed at being an ever-evolving experience. With a conversation pit, walk-in closet and poolside terrace, Valentino Insights is an escape into heaven. I mean, manifestation, right?

The digital project is scattered with tidbits of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s innerworkings. Click on a television and you’ll see the label’s latest video campaign with Euphoria star Zendaya. Diary entries and behind-the-scenes photos from Valentino’s Diary collection add a personal touch to the house, while sneakers and post-it-notes add a realistic flair to the space. There’s even a Spotify playlist between Piccioli and band Labrinth, another Euphoria alum.

The highlight of Valentino Insights? Giant floating purses acting as larger-than-life chandeliers. The timeless Valentino Garavani Roman Stud bag is at the center of the digital project, along with the rest of the house’s walk-in closet.

This isn’t Valentino’s first digital rodeo though. The label first introduced a virtual China-exclusive pop-up store to celebrate the launch of their Candystud collection in May 2018. The digital experience mirrored a physical store in the heart of Beijing’s Salitung fashion district.

However, this is the first time the label has completed a digital-only immersive experience of this size. Throughout 2020, countless brands have taken take a stab at digital to minimize overwhelming losses due to physical store closures in wake of COVID-19. While VR beauty filters on Instagram and video games are all too common, mounting an entire boutique can be a challenge.

Earlier this fall, Burberry launched a phygical store experience in Schenzen, China, where customers could walk in and scan codes on garments for exclusive photos and videos. Both Collina Strada and Balenciaga have turned to video games for their latest collections, blurring the line between fashion and technology even further.

The project extends the current narrative in fashion of providing immersive, fantasy experiences in a socially distant world. The future of fashion is certainly digital, and according to Valentino’s digital experience, do you even need a boutique anymore?

Stores are so last season.

You can explore the Valentino Insights digital experience now on Valentino.com.


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createdAt:Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:56:49 +0000
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