How Apple Vision Pro Is Changing Retail & Gaming In Beauty & Fashion

E.l.f. Beauty, Balenciaga and now SYKY and Anrealage have released interactive and immersive, experiences for the Apple Vision Pro. With shopping facilities and gamification either already integrated or loading, the implications for retail across beauty and fashion are immense.

SYKY: Behind the scenes at the Anrealage atelier

Latest platform to launch a fashion experience app for the Apple Vision Pro is Alice Delahunt’s SYKY Collective—via a showcase from Japanese label Anrealage.

Anrealage founder, Kunihiko Morinaga has created a version of his color-changing Pyramid Dress, drawing on signature photochromic fabric technology (materials that change color under ultraviolet light) and a bespoke piece worn by Beyoncé on her Renaissance tour. Users can navigate the dress and uncover points of interaction to learn more about the design and fabrics. The idea resonates in particular with Morinaga, whose starting point is always 3D before moving onto the physical design process.

According to SYKY, it will produce further experiences with fashion houses including digital extensions of ateliers, presentations or “new retail environments to examine custom-designed garments.”

“At SYKY, we believe that the fashion industry is entering a period of remarkable change as realities merge and digital fashion experiences blend with the physical world,” says Alice Delahunt, CEO and Founder of SYKY.

Balenciaga: Runway extension with gamification loading

A week previously Balenciaga launched the first phase of its own Apple Vision Pro experience developed in collaboration with AR
Arweave
creative studio Atomic Digital Design. It’s focused on Balenciaga’s Spring ‘25 show in Shanghai in May via an ensemble of drone shot views, stereoscopic footage (different views corresponding to right and left eye vision) an an interactive lookbook feature and access to past collection content.

Moving forward, as shared in a statement, Balenciaga will “continue to explore the opportunities of its technology through future content updates and new features that provide exceptional ways of engaging with the brand.”

Recent brand activity could prove insightful especially where gaming is concerned. Latest installment of the Balenciaga Music Series is a collaboration with French composer and musician BFRND who has produced original soundtracks for every Balenciaga presentationresentation since 2017. The series consists of a four-hour original playlist, video game and limited-edition physical merch with an all-access pass embedded via Near Field Communication (NFC) chip.

The pixelated game is set across various Balenciaga show sets and while the first three levels are accessible to anyone via dedicated mini-site, WeChat, or a touchscreen at Balenciaga Paris Montaigne and Shanghai IAPM flagships, a fourth bonus level is only accessible via aforementioned NFC chips—ie. to paying customers.

e.l.f. Beauty: Gaming and Social Shopping

The beauty sector was ahead of the curve. At the start of 2024, e.l.f. Beauty released its own Apple Vision Pro app. Created by virtual store platform, Obsess, it features guided meditations, stretching exercises and an interactive “Paint by Numbers” game. Plus, importantly, a shopping facility via Apple Pay.

According to Obsess CEO and Founder, Neha Singh, it offers users “an entirely new way to engage with the brand,” and “paves the way for a new era of spatial shopping and immersive storytelling for beauty.”

For the record, e.l.f. also recently became the first beauty brand to test real-world commerce on Roblox, powered by Walmart. Players can purchase items like hoodies, lip and SPF products via a virtual kiosk within its immersive e.l.f. UP! experience. Those completing a purchase also receive a “virtual twin” of their product available for use on the gaming platform.

“Testing commerce on Roblox is the next evolution in our journey of merging beauty with immersive platforms,” says e.l.f. Beauty Chief Marketing Officer Kory Marchisotto.