Bitmoji Fashion
Have you ever torn through your closet, desperate for something to wear? Have you ever wished you had a selection of designer clothes at your fingertips? Are you obsessed with bitmoji?
If you answered yes to any of these questions (but especially the last one), you probably already know about the recent changes to the one-year-old app.
Bitmoji collaborated with department store Bergdorf Goodman and W magazine to bring designer clothes to the customizable avatars’ closets. The best part? Users of the app don’t have to pay extra for these designer looks. If only that’s how real life worked, too.
The 35 designs come from Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander McQueen, Kenzo, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Rodarte. The new feature, nestled under the name Bitmoji Fashion, is included in the latest update of the free Bitmoji app.
What does this mean for high fashion? For one, Bitmoji Fashion brings high fashion to the masses in a way that has never been done before. Many non-fashion-oriented Americans couldn’t even tell you what Kenzo or Rodarte are, much less their signature styles. This is a way for high fashion retailers to become household names with a new demographic. It also features each label’s signature style by allowing Bitmoji users to associate the pieces offered with the name. For example, the Diane Von Furstenberg item is an iconic wrap dress, something the label is known for.
This isn’t the first time branded content in apps has taken the spotlight. In 2014, as part of the launch for Karl Lagerfeld’s eponymous fragrance, a mobile app was released. The app includes images related to the fragrance – those of Lagerfeld’s face, his cat, the fragrance bottle and studded black leather gloves in various poses. The gloves, specifically, are featured in a countdown from 5 days to 1 day and with a rock on sign, thumbs down sign, ok sign, and the two hands forming a heart.
Branded content in apps also is found among shopping apps. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Alex and Ani, and Alice + Olivia offer apps that are essentially phone or iPad platforms to online shop the brand. The Alex and Ani app has been notably successful, with 80,000 downloads in the first 3 weeks when it launched in October of 2015. This app, in particular, has many features in addition to shopping. Besides an inspiration section that explains meanings behind symbols on the bracelets and an “Ogham Oracle” that lets you “receive guidance from the ancient Oghams” it has a daily scroll. This “daily scroll” includes motivational quotes, ideas for gifts, videos, a horoscope, and service pieces. All, of course, lead to the perfect bracelet to buy.
What’s next for fashion apps? I’m praying for an update to Bitmoji that lets me dress like Kim Kardashian.