Gucci is a brand that never shies away from trying new things. And its latest ride through the AR landscape is commendable due to many reasons. Its new and exclusive digital pair of sneakers- The Gucci Virtual 25- is the talk of the town right now. The innovative design facilitates the use of sneakers in augmented reality or in partnered apps like Roblox and VRChat.
In comparison to the booming prices of the usual Gucci designs, the sneakers come at a surprisingly low cost of $12.99 or $8.99. The sneakers are available for purchase from Gucci or Wanna AR apps.
Though the sneakers are the company’s first digital model, Gucci is not new to the digital landscape. The previously released Pokemon GO avatars wearing Gucci x North Face costumes is already a part of the digital journey trajectory of the brand.
The credit of this innovative design rests in the hands of Gucci creative director, Alessandro Michele. The Italian designer is known for his novel designs and iconic products that helped the brand to reinvent itself. The latest design doesn’t fall short of his amazingly innovative, creative streak. The sneakers sport an extravagant shade of neon green and pink, edging the neighborhood of a cool, chunky look. The colors are seemingly eccentric. However, for a pair of sneakers that is not meant to exist in real life, it is appropriately extravagant. The design also bears the iconic Gucci logo, “GC.”
The shoes are a result of Gucci’s collaboration with Wanna, a company known for its specialization in providing AR technology for marketing. The Wanna app provides the shoes at a less expensive cost of $8.99, in comparison to the $12.99 in Gucci’s app, which delivers downloadable assets that enables the user to use shoes in other apps like Roblox or VRChat.
Though the eccentric design might not be to the taste of majority of users, one cannot deny the logic behind the design that Gucci and Wanna is toying with. The design is in sync with an age and time where the demand for digital collectibles is growing at a rapid pace, thanks to the rising popularity of NFT’s. And Gucci has an advantage over most NFT’s which is also its selling point; In addition to being a token of ownership, they can actually be used, if not in the real world, then in the virtual world to say the least.
