Inspired by Balenciaga’s iconic collections, the new Balenciaga Fit Set of outfits for players introduces fresh looks for four of Fortnite’s fan-favorite characters – Doggo, Ramirez, Knight, and Banshee. The new Outfits are completed with new Balenciaga backblings, pickaxes, and more for players to express themselves in completely unique ways.
Accompanying the launch of the digital apparel Set, they are also debuting a community-driven living lookbook campaign via the Strange Times Featured Hub inside Fortnite. At the center of the Hub sits a Balenciaga retail store inspired by the brand’s brick-and-mortar locations, all set in an unexpectedly strange city. Updated throughout the week, the new Hub and Balenciaga store will showcase the Fortnite community’s fashion on billboards, featuring creative images that mash-up players’ self-expression with unexpected elements.
With Balenciaga joining the world of Fortnite to celebrate digital fashion, both brands are also debuting a limited-run collab of physical apparel exclusively available in select Balenciaga stores and Balenciaga.com. The new line features hats, tees, hoodies, and more inspired by the community-favorite point of interest (POI) Retail Row and hits shelves globally on September 20th or September 21st, 2021 depending on the region.
“Our partnership with Epic didn’t start with Fortnite, actually,” says Demna Gvasalia, artistic director at Balenciaga. “It started with our own first video game, Afterworld, which we built using Unreal Engine to debut our Fall 2021 collection. From there, we have continued to be inspired by the creativity of Unreal and Fortnite communities. It made total sense, to me, that we collaborate further by creating these authentic Balenciaga looks for Fortnite and a new physical Fortnite clothing series for our stores.”
“Fashion has a long history in the Fortnite community, where players have the agency to show up however they want in our world,” says Adam Sussman, President at Epic Games. “Self-expression is one of the things that makes Fortnite so unique, and there couldn’t be a better first fashion partner than Balenciaga to bring their authentic designs and trendsetting culture to millions of players around the world.”
