Balenciaga launches collaboration with French composer and musician BFRND including original 8-bit video game
A new collaboration between Spanish luxury fashion line Balenciaga and French composer and musician BFRND focuses on the significance of music to the former’s universe.
As part of the 360° Balenciaga Music | BFRND Series, an original 8-bit video game featuring BFRND (who has produced original soundtracks for every Balenciaga presentation since 2017) as the main character has been created.
The game places players in various Balenciaga show sets, involving each runway’s respective soundtracks.
The first three levels are accessible to anyone via a dedicated mini-site, WeChat, or on a touchscreen at the Balenciaga Paris flagship on avenue Montaigne.
A fourth bonus level is only accessible via a NFC (Near Field Communication) chip embedded in Balenciaga Music | BFRND merchandise.
To promote the project, a worldwide contest has been launched in which the top 30 players will be rewarded.
EON
Last year, EON announced a partnership with Balenciaga to launch what was pitched as an industry first, tech enabled merch series with an exclusive media experience for Balenciaga customers that gave them access to a custom produced song by Archive, a London-based trip-hop group.
The song, titled Patterns, was composed exclusively for Balenciaga Music and was not available anywhere else or through any other channel.
According to a press release: “The launch marks the beginning of a new era where fashion products are not just physical assets, but also gateways to multimedia experiences where customers can connect directly with brands and creators”.
To listen to the song, Balenciaga customers tapped the NFC chip integrated into their Balenciaga Music I Archive merch item with a smartphone. The activation was enabled by the same kind of security technology that brands use for product traceability and authentication.
“We’re excited to partner with Balenciaga on this industry first experience, enabling a direct and exclusive connection between physical products and the creative inspiration of art and music behind them,” said Natasha Franck, Founder and CEO at EON.
“This collection spotlights the infinite possibilities that the EON Product Cloud provides for brands to capitalise on products, going beyond product traceability to turn products into new media channels that enable brands to drive multiple transactions through singular product.”
EON created and managed the link between each physical product and its digital twin in the cloud, and built and hosted the web experience that provided Balenciaga customers access to the Balenciaga Music I Archive song.
EON also delivered full translation support in English, French and Chinese languages. The Balenciaga Music I Archive merch series, which includes t-shirts and hoodies, was available in Balenciaga stores and on its website.
Continue reading…