Balenciaga Is Collaborating With Fortnite, Bringing Designer Fashion to the Gaming World

Iconic fashion house Balenciaga has just announced that it’s collaborating with Fortnite to bring luxe fashion to gaming.

Fortnite is a free-to-play Battle Royale game with numerous game modes for every type of game player and encourages a diverse array of gamers to come together.

This collaboration is where farrrshun and gaming combine; and we’re obsessed. The collab will see luxury fashion inside the games, as well as a limited-run of physical apparel exclusively available now in select Balenciaga stores and online.

The limited-run of physical apparel includes hat, tees, hoodies and more are inspired by Fortnite’s community-favourite point of interest (POI) Retail Row. So not only will your players look fly, but you can too!

“Our partnership with Epic didn’t start with Fortnite, actually,” says Demna Gvasalia, artistic director at Balenciaga. “It started with our own first video game, Afterworld, which we built using Unreal Engine to debut our Fall 2021 collection.”

“From there, we have continued to be inspired by the creativity of Unreal and Fortnite communities. It made total sense, to me, that we collaborate further by creating these authentic Balenciaga looks for Fortnite and a new physical Fortnite clothing series for our stores.”

Fashion and gaming have more crossover than you’d think, especially as technology continues to develop and virtual try-ons and AI become an integral part of online shopping as well as the design process.

Not only does technology play a huge role in both fashion and gaming, but the two industries cross over in other ways, with both having a huge focus in aesthetics and individuality.

“Fashion has a long history in the Fortnite community, where players have the agency to show up however they want in our world,” says Adam Sussman, President at Epic Games.

“Self-expression is one of the things that makes Fortnite so unique, and there couldn’t be a better first fashion partner than Balenciaga to bring their authentic designs and trendsetting culture to millions of players around the world.”

Inspired by Balenciaga’s iconic collections, players can don high-fashion with the new Balenciaga Fit Set of Outfits, featuring fresh looks for four of Fortnite’s fan-favourite characters: Doggo, Ramirez, Knight and Banshee. The Outfits are accessorised with new Balenciaga Back Blings, Pickaxes and more for players to express themselves in a new and unique way.

A community-driven living lookbook campaign will debut along with the digital apparel set via the Strange Times Featured Hub inside Fortnite.

A Balenciaga retail store features at the centre of the Hub, which will be updated throughout the week showcasing the Fortnite community’s fashion. 

For more information on the collaboration, you can visit the Unreal Engine Spotlight. For more information on the in-game items, please visit the Fortnite blog.