Dior expands its presence in the Chinese Metaverse with second virtual showcase

Over the weekend, Dior extended its push into the Chinese Metaverse once again. On September 27, the French fashion label hosted its Spring/Summer 2023 ready-to-wear show in Meta-Ziwu virtual space on XiRang, a Web3 platform owned by Chinese search engine giant Baidu. 

Audiences were able to watch the live-streamed show in a virtual space with larger-than-life Dior logos and an other-wordly aesthetic. 

China is projected to surpass the U.S. to become the biggest market for luxury spending by 2025, according to Bain & Company. Meanwhile, JP Morgan predicts the total addressable market (TAM) in China for business services and software in the Metaverse will reach US$ 27 billion in China and US$ 4 trillion TAM for the Metaverse in China from ‘converting offline consumption across physical goods and services.’  

It is against this background that Dior is developing its presence in the Chinese Metaverse this year. 

On April 28 2022, the fashion label  launched its first-ever Metaverse runway show ‘On The Road’, also in partnership with baidu and its virtual landscape of Meta-Ziwu. Meta-Ziwu is designed by reputed Chinese architect, Ma Yansong. 

The show featured Dior’s 2022 Autumn Menswear collections in the virtual skyscraper in Meta-Ziwu and marked the first time the virtual realm owned by Baidu was employed in real-life projects. 

Dior previously entered the Metaverse by partnering with Metaverse avatar platform Ready Player Me to launch an interactive branded experience in which users can create their own avatars across various brand-inspired environments. Ready Player Me connects users to more than 300 applications and games integrated with the platform. 

Photo: Zoe Magazine