Dive Brief:
- Alo Yoga has teamed up with The Sandbox, a decentralized virtual world, to introduce a collection of digital Alo wearables, according to an announcement emailed to Retail Dive.
- Wearable options are a bucket hat, sweatpants and hoodie from Alo Yoga’s collection. The brand launched the collection on March 1 during Paris Fashion Week.
- The collection marks Alo’s entry into The Sandbox and helps the brand engage with its community through decentralized platforms, true digital ownership and exclusive member rewards, the company said.
Dive Insight:
Alo Yoga’s collaboration with The Sandbox marks its continued experimentation with the yet-to-be-defined metaverse concept.
The brand previously released Aspen Collection NFTs, which came with perks such as personalized shopping and access to the Alo Wellness Club and the soon-to-come Alo Houses, the company said. The brand tapped Web3 company MoonPay to release the NFT. Meanwhile, The Sandbox has previously partnered with companies and celebrities such as Gucci, Warner Music Group, Adidas, Atari, Steve Aoki, Deadmau5 and Snoop Dogg, according to the press release.
Beyond NFTs and virtual gaming, Alo Yoga has also had a hand in the crypto industry and introduced its own digital environment. Last month, the brand opened a virtual store with services such as digital styling, beauty and wellness tutorials and online exercise classes. And in June 2022, the brand announced that it began accepting cryptocurrency for e-commerce purchases and would offer customers paying with crypto a free month of Alo Moves, its online fitness class subscription.
“Our digital wearables collection is a celebration of digital identity and of meeting our community where they are,” Angelic Vendette, chief marketing officer and global head of marketing and Web3 at Alo Yoga, said in a statement. “As Web3 continues to unlock new ways for us to meaningfully engage with the world, and ensure mindfulness is top of mind, we are thrilled to be partnering with The Sandbox for this launch as it represents the future of co-building and co-ownership alongside our wellness community.”
Meanwhile, other brands have created digital avatars to reach online customers. In July 2021, American Eagle released a digital clothing collection via Bitmoji, the custom avatar company owned by Snapchat, and tapped influencer Addison Rae, actor Caleb McLaughlin and actress Jenna Ortega to be virtual brand ambassadors. Last month, Maybelline introduced a digital avatar to promote its Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara.
