Amazon has launched a new service which allows customers to purchase eligible fashion items in its online store and unlock them in Fashion Rivals, a gaming experience in DRESSX’s world on Meta’s Horizon platform.

The partnership with the avatar fashion and AI styling technology firm bridges the gap between online commerce and gameplay, which Amazon said reflects a broader cultural shift in how identify is built and performed online.

For a growing number of people, the company said, virtual environments are social spaces where users spend time with others, experiment with appearance, signal belonging, and take part in culture.

Amazon added that the launch of the partnership helps bring this behaviour into the mainstream.

Following the purchase of an item, customers receive a 10-digit redemption code by email. They can then enter the game and redeem the code inside the game. The item will be accessible in the user’s inventory, allowing them to style the item and wear it in runway challenges.

DRESSX currently has over 30 global band partnerships with fashion and technology companies including Burberry, Lacoste, Printemps, Meta and Snap.

“Amazon customers increasingly engage across physical and digital experiences," said William Morris, Sr. Tech Business Development at Amazon Video Game Retail. "Working with DRESSX allows us to meet customers where they are - offering products that work in virtual environments through the convenience of Amazon's online store.”

Meta Horizon was launched by the tech company in 2021 as a VR-only experience and a key part of the company’s failed pivot to the Metaverse. The product, which was part of a push that cost the company billions of dollars, is set to be removed from its VR Meta Quest headset on June 15. After this date, Horizon will be only be available on mobile devices.

At time of writing, DRESSX’s Meta Horizon world had 7 current visitors out a maximum of 10 at a time.

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