Designer-entrepreneur Hilfiger to launch AI-based fashion game

Fashion gaming is getting bigger and that means big names are getting involved. In January, Hilfiger Ventures, co-founded by Tommy Hilfiger with Joe Lamastra, is linking up with major global game publisher Tilting Point to launch what they say will be a “breakthrough” interactive mobile fashion game.

Called FashionVerse, it will be available for iOS, Android and Netflix. The latter’s 247 million members will have FashionVerse included in their memberships through the Netflix mobile app, which gives the game instant scale. 

Brandible is the developer behind it and we’re told it uses the “latest artificial intelligence technology to create incredible photorealistic 3D avatars, settings and props; a convergence of fashion and gaming rarely seen in these two industries”.

As expected from fashion games, it will see players taking on design challenges “to create perfectly curated fashion sets in Stylist mode or mood boards in Trendsetter mode”.

Players will be able to “share their creations, vote on other stylists’ scenes, [and] unlock new clothing styles, all while discovering the latest trends from real-world fashion brands”. 

And the developers were at pains to point out that “diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of FashionVerse as well, with the game featuring models varying in size, ethnicities and abilities”. 

We’re told the idea came from the designer himself, “who wanted to scale fashion through an immersive, community-based game that capitalises on the most current technology, like Brandible’s proprietary AI model, which creates photorealistic avatars, settings and props, to provide a stunning virtual experience where everyone is a creator”. 

“It’s been a life goal of mine to make fashion more accessible. Given how many people engage with fashion through their phones, I thought, there has to be a way to bring everyone together into one community, providing a more immersive experience,” Hilfiger said.“Through working with Tilting Point and Brandible, I truly believe this collaboration on FashionVerse marks an exciting milestone in the convergence of fashion and gaming.”

This isn’t a launch from the Tommy Hilfiger fashion company company itself (which is owned by PVH) as Hilfiger Ventures is the designer’s private investment vehicle.

It means other labels will be involved and it won’t just be about fashion, because beauty has also been growing in popularity in the gaming world. 

The involvement of Hilfiger is clearly a big deal given the instant recognition his name has and that must surely be hugely helpful in talks with organisations like Netflix, as well as in discussions with potential brand participants.

We don’t yet know who those participants will be. The game will feature an ongoing series of two-week virtual Pop-Ups with “major fashion, entertainment, art and beauty brands to be announced in the weeks following launch, allowing players to interact with the modern fashion universe through their own unique lens as they virtually style their models and set designs”. 

The Pop-Ups will feature dedicated challenges focused on participating brands’ campaign themes, garments from their latest collections, and special rewards for players who complete all of the branded challenges. They’ll also feature digital exclusives from “celebrated artists and musicians, merging the worlds of fashion, music and popular culture in one game”. 

Tilting Point CEO Kevin Segalla said: “Fashion fans are an incredibly underserved audience in the games space, so when Tommy approached us with the FashionVerse idea, we knew immediately this was a huge opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”