By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The hit singing competition The Voice has created a new virtual fashion line for metaverse denizens on the Roblox platform.
The new line was put together through a partnership between ITV Studios and the Virtual Brand Group, which is a company that creates metaverse experiences for brands. VBG first burst onto the licensing scene in a big way in 2022 when it co-created a metaverse experience for Forever 21, winning a Licensing Excellence award at that year’s Licensing Expo.
VBG and ITV, a UK-based studio linked to the ITV television network, unveiled The Voice’s new Winter collection on Roblox, a platform that hosts an astounding 70 million users daily, and is currently the top metaverse destination. And for anyone who’s worried about the impact of ‘fast fashion’ on the environment, no need to worry! The Voice points out the collection is created 99% more sustainably that physical clothing, so you can look cool, without making the planet hot.
As well, given The Voice is viewed by fans in more than 150 territories around the world, the team says it created a line that “reflects a diversity of global styles.”
“Entering Roblox with virtual fashion is for us the perfect way to connect one of our most successful brands, The Voice with Generation Z,” said Jurian van der Meer, ITV Studios EVP of Brand Licensing and Global Partnerships. “Inspired by the musical genres of NBC’s season 24 of The Voice, we bring a unique fashion line into the metaverse.”
This Winter’s virtual collection is part of the brand’s growing expansion into avatar fashion and digital retail showcasing four design themes, each inspired by a different coach’s musical genre on NBC’s The Voice season 24 now airing. The four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series currently features coaches Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and John Legend as they vie to discover and coach the next singing phenomenon.
The Winter line themes are Country, Pop, Rock and Soul and include a range of aesthetics to reflect global tastes, from street gear to couture fashion each with matching accessories. This line will be released by VBG in three separate secretive drops with Dec. 14 being the first, and the final one set to commemorate NBC’s season 24 show winner.
VBG is also unveiling The Voice’s first virtual Pop-Up store, which allows fans to shop interactively, mix and match outfits, and take a selfie in the show’s iconic red chair to post to social media. The Voice Pop-Up was built in partnership with Dubit, a leading technology company and Roblox development studio who works with global brands.
The Voice Pop Up shop can be enjoyed across a vast range of experiences on Roblox putting the collection closest to tens of millions of the show’s fans where they shop, play, enjoy music and meet friends.
The Winter collection and The Voice Pop-Up represent the fourth virtual activation for Virtual Brand Group and ITV Studios. The previous activations were staged on the Decentraland and Ready Player Me platforms, with this latest activation being the first to be hosted on Roblox.
VBG CEO Justin Hochberg says that’s a big deal, as Roblox is the largest metaverse platform by users, and also the largest retailer of virtual goods.
“Fashion and music drive global pop culture,” Hochberg added. “Building The Voice as a global fashion brand, in partnership with NBC, is key to the show’s strategy to always be at the center of the zeitgeist.
“Launching this unique collection on Roblox, which sold 1.6B digital fashion items last year, establishes the brand as an omni channel retailer reaching over 200MM consumers monthly. That’s more people than subscribe to Amazon, the world’s largest retailer.”
According to Roblox’s recent digital expression report, over half (56%) of Gen Z say styling their avatar is more important than their physical style, underscoring the importance of digital self-expression.
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