Meta is launching an avatar store, and designer clothes are the first products

If you've ever wondered, "I'd like my digital avatar to be in poorly designed designer clothes," I have great news for you.

Meta is launching an online store where Facebook, Instagram and Messenger users can buy digital clothing for their avatars. The first brands at the store are Prada, Balenciaga and Thom Browne, and clothing includes a motocross dress, a logo hoodie and suit.

In a Facebook post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that more brands will be added soon.

“Digital goods will be an important way to express ourselves as a big driver of the metaverse and the creative economy,” he says.

Luxury fashion houses are increasingly partnering with technology companies to create branded digital garments. Last year, Fortnite introduced Balenciaga skins, so players could buy branded hoodie-like clothing for their in-game characters. In Roblox, players can visit Gucci Town, which has a garden and a virtual store with the brand's logo.

The news went silent this afternoon, despite the big names at Meta's launch, and the company didn't immediately respond to a request for more details. Meta says the store will launch "soon," although information on how users will access the store was not immediately available. Hopefully digital clothing will cost less than the real thing. In a livestream today, Eva Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, took a look at Zuckerberg's avatar, which featured a cropped T-shirt, low-rise jeans, and a white belt.

"I don't know if I could have ever pulled it off," he said. I agree!