Meta to launch an avatar store; designer clothes are the first products

If you've ever thought, "I would like my digital avatar to wear poorly rendered designer clothing," I have great news for you.

Meta is launching an online store where Facebook, Instagram and Messenger users can buy digital clothing for their avatar. The first brands in the store are Prada, Balenciaga and Thom Browne, and the clothing includes a motocross outfit, a logo sweatshirt and suits.

In a Facebook post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said more brands would be added soon.

"Digital goods will be an important way to express yourself in the metaverse and a big driver of the creative economy," he says.

Luxury fashion houses are increasingly partnering with tech companies to create branded digital apparel. Last year, Fortnite introduced Balenciaga skins so players could purchase clothing like a branded hoodie for their in-game characters. In Roblox, players can visit Gucci Town, complete with a garden bearing the brand's logo and a virtual store.

Despite the big names at the Meta launch, the news fell quietly this afternoon, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for more details. Meta says the store will launch "soon," though information on how users will access the store was not immediately available. Let's hope digital clothes cost less than real clothes. In a live stream today, Eva Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, previewed a look featuring a cropped t-shirt, low-rise jeans, and a white belt outfitted in Zuckerberg's avatar.

"I don't know that I ever could have pulled that off," he said. I agree!