Balenciaga Comes to Fortnite: High Fashion and Gaming Continue to Merge

Fortnite is integrating a collection of wearable pieces from the luxury fashion house, including a roster of outfits, backpacks and more. Epic's post unveiling the collaboration concludes with the line: "Make Fortnite your fashion destination this fall," suggesting that this collaboration will be the first of many. For all the details on the pieces and availability, head to Epic's site.

Fortnite's numerous collaborations and brand of pop culture-infused hype have changed the gaming landscape, but they still exist within a closed ecosystem. NFT technology is opening up the possibility of limitless exchange outside of specific games. We can imagine a future in which Balenciaga doesn't create a collection for Fortnite; rather, they would create an NFT un-restricted by game affiliation that can be pulled into a wide array of metaverses and used as a skin in other games across platforms.

The possibilities for the future of the gaming/fashion world are truly endless. Instances like the Fortnite x Balenciaga collab demonstrate the merits of hype within a gaming ecosystem, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg. We will look back on 2021 as a turning point for video games. Flexing and fashion hype don't just exist IRL; the world of the digital flex has arrived.