Balenciaga has found a new way to present its Fall 2021 collection.
On Sunday, Dec. 6, the luxury brand will release Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, a video game featuring the collection set in 2031.
"A hero avatar advances throughout distinct zones, motivated by tasks and interactions," according to Balenciaga's official announcement. "The narrative of Afterworld is anchored to mythological pasts and projected futures with timeless archetypes and speculative imagery."
Over the past several years, fashion houses have been working to expand their reach into the world of gaming. This past September, Burberry streamed its Spring 2021 fashion show on Twitch and several brands have partnered with Nintendo Switch's Animal Crossing to create digital wardrobes for the game characters this year.
Balenciaga's Demna Gvasalia lamented to WWD back in September over the monotony of presenting so many fashion shows each year, teasing that he would unveil his next collection in a new way.
"I think fashion shows have become too much of a comfort zone," he said. "It's a little bit too easy. And like, I don't believe in easy solutions being the best necessarily. And I also don't believe that fashion should function within the comfort zone. The comfort zone is where we stagnate. And given that fashion has to keep engaging people. I realized there are many other ways."
Check out the trailer for Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, below.