American Apparel to Open in Second Life
Popular Second Life architect and content-creator Aimee Weber of in-world brand *PREEN* sends news that she’s just designed and built an in-world showroom for real-world fashion brand American Apparel. The store, located on a private island in Second Life, is set to open as soon as this weekend. The news has SL residents considering what it means that the first real-world fashion brand has made an entrance to Second Life. Fashion is one of the virtual world’s biggest industries, and the fashion business in SL is extremely competitive. So it’s not a surprise that the first real-world retail brand to set up shop in SL is a fashion retailer.
The fashions themselves are patterned after American Apparel’s real-world clothes, and were designed by several designers, including Aimee, though she wouldn’t say who else was involved. The clothing will be priced “high-priced reasonable” compared to other SL fashions, Aimee says. No comment either on where the revenue from clothing sales will go — which leads me to believe it will go to the designers as part of their compensation. Notably for Aimee, who herself has become a wildly popular brand in Second Life, the project is not one from a virtual world services company like Millions of Us, whom Aimee has worked with before, but was generated when an American Apparel marketing rep approached her about establishing a presence in SL.
In many ways, American Apparel is the perfect fashion retailer for Second Life. Though the company’s bright colors and somewhat revealing styles can’t compete with the fantstic creations and truly skimpy stuff that SL residents often favor, the sexual adventures of American Apparel CEO Dov Charney are very much in keeping with Second Life’s culture — where almost one-third of commercial activity on the Grid is devoted to sexual pursuits, according to some of Linden Lab’s own estimates.
The build itself looks handsome in early screenshots. According to Aimee, its boxlike structure is based on the American Apparel store in Tokyo, by the company’s request. One unusual feature of the site is that the lighting is scripted to change when virtual darkness falls across the land (which happens every six hours or so in SL, if I remember correctly).
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3poindD: American Apparel to open in Second Life…
Walker Spaight’s typist Mark Wallace writes over at 3pointD.com that RL fashion house American Apparel, is opening a store in Second Life.Popular Second Life architect and content-creator Aimee Weber of in-world brand *PREEN* sends news that she’s j…
Awesome! There’s an American Apparel three blocks from my apartment in Brooklyn and I admit being a sucker for some of their stuff–I have a bunch of their colored t-shirts and thermals. Have to go here now and deck out my av :).
BTW I’ve always thought of American Apparel as a “Second Lifey” company, so this is really cool to see. They’ve got a, shall we say, interesting corporate attitude. Check out these videos on their business and culture and if you’re familiar with Linden Lab tell me something doesn’t feel similar, even just the spirit of doing something new, differently, with a vision. Replace “outsourcing” with “user-created content” and “America” with “Metaverse” lol. Totally not 1:1 but you’ll see what I mean. It’s interesting.
[…] 3pointD.com » Blog Archive » American Apparel to Open in Second Life: Aimee Webber also built Regina World for Warner Bros Records. She’s pretty amazing. […]
This is interesting, Walker, let’s see if it plays in Peoria.
“Wildly popular”? That really is over the top. Popular — but promoted heavily by Lindens, mainly, and ex-Lindens. Traffic is in the area of 3000 — even with special ads on Hamlet’s blog and half-price sales, it only goes up to like 5000. Check out many other prominent designers in SL and see figures more like 20,000. And sales? How can we tell? what are your metrics for measuring “popular”? what the Lindens put on their website? But that’s just Bub.
Aimee is really coming into her own with this build, its tight and well executed. Top-notch work. Whether it will ‘play in peoria’ is a moot point. The fundamental driver here is corporate interest in Secondlife, which isn’t going away.
Aimee is a premiere builder who deserves these contract jobs - I’m quite sure we’ll see a lot more from her in the future.
Puts a pall on the simple brain-dead landswapping that people seem to glorify — some real creativity was needed to pull this off.
Aimee is a stellar example of someone who can design and build - which is rare in SL.
Maxx, it’s a box. To be sure, a box with baked texturs, but a box. If anybody else had made this box, you’d not be circling the wagons like this.
I’m not aware of any “brain-dead landswapping” being glorified in SL. Where do you see it being glorified? I don’t. I see more and more architects putting really “tight and well-executed” builds on land and selling land and homes together.
Have you done that?
Prok
[…] 3pointD has an interesting post on American Apparel opening a SL show room for their real world clothes. You could off course say that it is a perfect fit with clothes already being a massive part of the growing SL economy, but it really makes sense to me on a number of levels. […]
I understand your proclivity towards deconstructionism and the usual attacks prevent you from praising any kind of creative effort, so lets just agree you’ve got no basis from which to judge, since I’m pretty sure you’ve never built anything quite as involved, if ever.
As for land, it takes effort, not creativity.
Retailer Opens Outpost in Second Life…
Advergaming in games like Second Life is beginning to really take steam. The 3pointD blog has discovered that American Apparel is opening a virtual store inside the role-playing game. American Apparel has 130 physical stores worldwide, including over 3…
Prokovy,
I own a media brokerage in RL and an advertising agency. Your comment about Aimee Weber not being wildly popular….I measure popularity by name recognition…Being in “RL” I know who Aimee Weber is…In fact that is why my company sought her out to build the American Apparel Store in SL…..who are you again?
-Wes Keltner
CEO
The Ad Option
Bridging the Gap: Marketing in Virtual Worlds…
It is becoming increasingly common for “real” brands to do marketing experiments in virtual worlds (more on the reasoning behind this strategy in an upcoming post). One catch phrase for it - which doesn’t really catch it all - is…
American Apparel Opens Second Life Store…
So now that American Apparel is opening a store in Second Life, which real-life retailer will be next to clothe SL avatars? Benetton? Now it isn’t enough that we need to wear the "right" clothes in real life, but……
Maxx,
You know, it has to be said. What have you done in SL *lately*. I mean, even Lordfly ocasionally gets off college or the forums and makes a house on commission. What have YOU done inworld?
Making rental communities does involve creativity. And I am not an architect or builder or designer, so this is done on an amateur level. Fortunately, I have professionals I can hire, or I can buy their prefabs. And if none of this is at the aesthetic level you wish, that’s more than fine, as it takes many levels within a world to make it free.
>Prokovy,
>I own a media brokerage in RL and an advertising agency. Your comment about Aimee Weber not being wildly popular….I measure popularity by name recognition…Being in “RL” I know who Aimee Weber is…In fact that is why my company sought her out to build the American Apparel Store in SL…..who are you again?
>-Wes Keltner
CEO
The Ad Option
Hi, Wes. Um…Who are you again? CEO of what? I’ve never heard of you or your company. But the Internet is a big place. American Apparel isn’t exactly a household world on the cover of Vogue, either, it’s associated with t-shirts in Brooklyn and sexually vulgar scandals. Is that something to be proud of? I guess. Aimee Weber only has name recognition because the Lindens saw fit to promote her to the RL media, and that ensured that people like you picked up her name from googling or browsing through articles.
Popularity can be faked and artificially promoted but…can it last? There are other designers and venues in SL and RL that have more long-term durability, as you’ll see.
Well, how can I put it? I’m glad you found each other : )
BTW, I’m CEO of Ravenglass Rentals. I’m also chief cook and bottle washer, too.
I see you’re a recent graduate.
http://www.bizlex.com/story.php?id=658
“Third place
Ad Option conducts product placement campaigns within video games by leveraging the student founders’ personal contacts in the game industry, which he developed as an editor for an online gaming journal. Wes Keltner and Robbie Hobbs.”
Congratulations on winning the contest!
There, now that’ve gotten properly acquainted and know who’s who, let me suggest as a highly seasoned video game CEO entrepreneur myself, that you…get out more!
Shorter Prok:
Youth sucks! College is for nerds (except me)! American Apparel? I only shop at Dress Barn, thank you very much!!
[…] Uma marca de roupa norte-americana abriu uma loja no popular mundo online do Second Life. […]
An American Apparel In Second Life…
This one is of real interest to me obviously. The above image is from the virtual store for American Apparel. After reading about this over on the 3pointD weblog (Link) a few days back, I thought I’d take a peek for myself and found some time …
big up wes!
do it up and get with this kid. he is a billionaire in the making.
profkofy or what ever, don’t be scared. it will all be okay…
:)
Prokofy,
“There, now that’ve gotten properly acquainted and know who’s who, let me suggest as a highly seasoned video game CEO entrepreneur myself, that you…get out more!”
That’s pretty funny. Especially coming from a person whose online bio reads, “I live and work in Second Life.” Just the fact that you’re notorious for your “attitude” in multiple online worlds…not to mention being banned from multiple forums as well is pretty laughable. How much time do you really have to spend on the message boards before you get banned? And you’re telling Wes to “get out more”? Classic! How about getting a “1st Life” sweetie?
Oh, and before you make a mad dash towards the Google bar, or to the nearest message board, don’t bother. I work mostly in print, and judging by your ability to spend any time in the “real world”, you’ll likely never find me. My name is Ronnie btw…not Robbie.
Late
I’d really rather not have to close this comments thread yet, since this post doesn’t draw a lot of spam, but I fear that’s what I’m going to have to do if you kids don’t stop insulting each other. This blog is a news source, it’s not a venue for personal beefs. Okay? Thanks.
[…] - Hempman Richard (aka Paul Hemp, Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review) - Cristiano Midnight (SLUniverse/Snapzilla) - SNOOPYbrown Zamboni (aka Jerry Paffendorf, Second Life Future Salon/Electric Sheep Company) - Zero Grace (aka blogger Tony Walsh, Clickable Culture) - Razor Rinkitink (aka Raz Schionning, Director of Web Services, American Apparel, with just-opened Second Life outlet) - Hamlet Au (aka blogger Wagner James Au, New World Notes) […]
[…] - Hempman Richard (aka Paul Hemp, Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review) - Cristiano Midnight (SLUniverse/Snapzilla) - SNOOPYbrown Zamboni (aka Jerry Paffendorf, Second Life Future Salon/Electric Sheep Company) - Zero Grace (aka blogger Tony Walsh, Clickable Culture) - Razor Rinkitink (aka Raz Schionning, Director of Web Services, American Apparel, with just-opened Second Life outlet) - Hamlet Au (aka blogger Wagner James Au, New World Notes) […]
American Apparel in Second Life: virtual boredom on your desktop!…
Apparently the blogorati are abuzz about clothing retailer American Apparel opening a virtual store in Second Life. Even CNET is reporting on the store opening. Designed by the talented Aimee Weber, the new store will feature, well, clothes and other…
[…] All this money sloshing around was bound to be noticed by the retail giants sooner or later. First past the post would seem to be clothing retailer American Apparel, who have opened up a virtual store in Second Life. (Link blagged from Steve Rubel) A.A. already have a chain of stores across the globe, but now they have a foothold on a virtual planet, too. It will surely be very little time before others follow suit. How successful they are remains to be seen; it is my guess that SL users, especially the pioneers, who will resent these new arrivals. Furthermore, it is doubtful that the same tricks of the trade will work in virtual worlds. New business models, modes of advertising and so on will have to be developed, probably through trial and error. […]
[…] Im Gegensatz zu dem Shop von American Apparel, der bereits seit längerem virtuelle Güter in der virtuellen Welt verkauft, soll man in dem Amazon-Shop reale Güter erstehen können. Anschließend wird dann natürlich auch reales Geld vom Konto abgebucht - Amazon hofft vermutlich, dass einige User das vergessen werden ;-)Mehr dazu auch in den Notizen aus der Profinz: Reales Marketing in virtuellen Welten […]
[…] À voir : American Apparel [en] ouvre son magasin dans Second Life. […]
[…] Fashion Retailer to Open Second Life Store Now even real retailers are building stores inside the popular Second Life persistent online world. 3pointD.com reports (thx Micropersuasion) that fashion retailer American Apparel has hired designer Aimee Weber to build them an online store inside Second Life. American Apparel will sell apparel for Second Life residents that looks similar to the apparel they sell in their bricks-and-mortar stores. The store, located on a private island in Second Life, is set to open as soon as this weekend. The news has SL residents considering what it means that the first real-world fashion brand has made an entrance to Second Life. Fashion is one of the virtual world’s biggest industries, and the fashion business in SL is extremely competitive. So it’s not a surprise that the first real-world retail brand to set up shop in SL is a fashion retailer. The fashions themselves are patterned after American Apparel’s real-world clothes, and were designed by several designers, including Aimee, though she wouldn’t say who else was involved. The clothing will be priced “high-priced reasonable” compared to other SL fashions, Aimee says. No comment either on where the revenue from clothing sales will go - which leads me to believe it will go to the designers as part of their compensation It is an interesting development. A Forbes article on the virtual store says American Apparel calls the Second Life build an experiment. Schionning says that it’s just an experiment and that the company is not trying to make money with the venture. A token sum will be charged for clothing, but the prices are not yet set. This is “not a profit-making venture,” he says. Its real-life retail outlets typically feature racy, disco-era photographs of scantily clad girls and have been at the center of controversy over the kitschy decor, which has used 1970s Penthouse magazine covers. The 6,000-square foot virtual store is modeled after the hipster brand’s bi-level Tokyo outlet. The initial fashion selection will offer 20 styles of American Apparel’s signature logo-free casual wear: basic T-shirts, tank tops, undergarments and swimwear. Second Life residents may be privy to real-world promotions and discounts from American Apparel, and the marketing tactic may boost actual sales with a link to the online store, the company said. You can bet there will be more of these so-called experiments. Second Life Creativity seems to think so too. […]
[…] Fashion Retailer to Open Second Life Store Now even real retailers are building stores inside the popular Second Life persistent online world. 3pointD.com reports (thx Micropersuasion) that fashion retailer American Apparel has hired designer Aimee Weber to build them an online store inside Second Life. American Apparel will sell apparel for Second Life residents that looks similar to the apparel they sell in their bricks-and-mortar stores. The store, located on a private island in Second Life, is set to open as soon as this weekend. The news has SL residents considering what it means that the first real-world fashion brand has made an entrance to Second Life. Fashion is one of the virtual world’s biggest industries, and the fashion business in SL is extremely competitive. So it’s not a surprise that the first real-world retail brand to set up shop in SL is a fashion retailer. The fashions themselves are patterned after American Apparel’s real-world clothes, and were designed by several designers, including Aimee, though she wouldn’t say who else was involved. The clothing will be priced “high-priced reasonable” compared to other SL fashions, Aimee says. No comment either on where the revenue from clothing sales will go - which leads me to believe it will go to the designers as part of their compensation It is an interesting development. A Forbes article on the virtual store says American Apparel calls the Second Life build an experiment. Schionning says that it’s just an experiment and that the company is not trying to make money with the venture. A token sum will be charged for clothing, but the prices are not yet set. This is “not a profit-making venture,” he says. Its real-life retail outlets typically feature racy, disco-era photographs of scantily clad girls and have been at the center of controversy over the kitschy decor, which has used 1970s Penthouse magazine covers. The 6,000-square foot virtual store is modeled after the hipster brand’s bi-level Tokyo outlet. The initial fashion selection will offer 20 styles of American Apparel’s signature logo-free casual wear: basic T-shirts, tank tops, undergarments and swimwear. Second Life residents may be privy to real-world promotions and discounts from American Apparel, and the marketing tactic may boost actual sales with a link to the online store, the company said. You can bet there will be more of these so-called experiments. Second Life Creativity seems to think so too. […]
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