Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its Tmall Luxury Pavilion, an online shopping platform for luxury brands, by launching digital experiences.
To celebrate, the company is taking to the Metaverse alongside global luxury brands to host an augmented reality fashion show and an extended reality (XR) exhibition depicting the future of retail.
During the event, customers will be able to purchase a special Premium Meta Pass, allowing them to purchase new products from Burberry, Max Mara and Bogner before they hit stores.
The AR fashion show, held on September 22 in cooperation with Vogue China, will feature some brand mascots on the virtual runway.
The project is part of Alibaba Group’s strategy to digitally connect luxury brands with Chinese consumers. The company has already integrated 3D shopping, AR product trials and digital avatars into its concept.
“Before ‘Metaverse’ became a buzzword, we were already turning that buzzword into a commercial reality,” said Janet Wang, head of Alibaba’s luxury division, in a company blog post.
The Tmall Luxury Pavilion was already celebrated at a gala in Shanghai last week, attended by representatives from Richemont, Kering, LVMH and OTB. At the event, invited guests were able to experience virtual exhibitions and retail spaces, try out AR glasses and products and create immersive experiences while shopping.
To expand its offering, Alibaba is preparing to release a white paper designed to help luxury brands in China track the results of Metaverse-based services to optimize their digital strategies.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.