Thomas Sabo in Pocket Styler virtual-physical launch

​Digital fashion game Pocket Styler has signed up jewellery brand Thomas Sabo, which is offering the first jewellery and accessories collection simultaneously available both in physical stores and in the virtual world.

It’s gone live as of this week and includes over 50 items such as jewellery, sunglasses and watches, “allowing fashion fans to shop the look in real life and dress their online avatar in the very latest looks”.

Shoppers can buy the physical collection on the brand’s webstore and in selected boutiques, while the digital collection is hosted by by Pocket Styler.

Among the items on sale in-store and virtually are the ‘Cosmic Amulet collection’, the ‘Heritage Glam collection’, and the Eyewear collection.

The companies cited retail analysts saying the global e-clothing market could be worth $50 billion by 2030.

That prediction comes as we’re told 39% of people worldwide now play online games, with almost two-thirds of gamers buying e-clothing for their avatars. And seven in 10 buyers of virtual fashion are said to claim their avatars influence their real-life style, while a quarter of them own more than 50 pieces of virtual clothing and accessories.

Pocket Styler has had 22 million downloads globally since its launch in 2021 with 20,000 hours of game time daily. It has 310+ trillion possible combinations of outfits.

Previous collabs include launches with David Koma and Marc Cain, “with a number of other big-name designers currently in talks to appear”.

Victoria Trofimova, CEO of Nordcurrent, which produces Pocket Styler, said: “The lines between digital and physical fashion are blurring. Pocket Styler’s mission is to provide a platform for its players to experience fashion, develop a sense of style, learn to make decisions, and make new friends. Introducing real fashion brands in Pocket Styler is a natural progression as the game evolves.”