Victoria’s Secret & Co.’s Happy Nation has made its debut in the metaverse by way of Roblox.
The tween brand is the first time Victoria’s Secret’s portfolio — which also includes the Lingerie, Beauty and Pink brands — is entering the metaverse.
“The Happy Nation brand was launched to reflect the needs and values of Gen Alpha, with their parents in mind,” said Susan Anderson, vice president of creative at Happy Nation. “Inclusivity and environmental sustainability are central to who they are. As the most tech-savvy generation yet, we wanted to introduce them to Happy Nation in the digital space where they choose to spend their time, the metaverse.”
“This is a new demographic and environment for our company,” Anderson added, referring to the brand that launched online in April. “The metaverse integration has been an exciting project for our team and is a big step in our journey to authentically engage with our Happy Crew and collaborate with wonderful organizations like Undies for Everyone, providing children living in poverty or crisis with new underwear.”
The virtual activation includes three Happy Nation obstacle courses, or “obbys,” each with its own theme representing the brand’s core values: friendly to the planet, empowered to give and connected to our community.
The digital hub also includes includes a play-to-donate partnership with Undies for Everyone. Today through July 31, Happy Nation will donate one pair of underwear to the nonprofit — up to 10,500 pairs — for each player who completes all three obstacle courses in the brand’s hub.
“Underwear insecurity — the lack of sufficient, clean and size-appropriate underwear — is a growing problem in the U.S. and often creates a challenging ripple effect for children in crisis that can hinder success in the classroom and on the playground,” said Amy Weiss, executive director of Undies for Everyone. “We are excited to partner with Happy Nation providing new underwear to children who need it most, recognizing the importance of this small basic need as part of a child’s increased chances of long-term success.”
Victoria’s Secret’s plans to enter the metaverse first became apparent in February, after the firm filed a series of trademark applications for downloadable virtual goods, virtual retail services and entertainment related to the Victoria’s Secret brand.
But the Roblox activation is just the latest in the firm’s transformation efforts.
In the last year, Victoria’s Secret has partnered with Amazon to sell Victoria’s Secret Beauty on the e-commerce website; acquired minority stakes in third-party businesses, such as Frankies Bikinis and For Love & Lemons; and formed the VS Collective to showcase a diverse lineup of models, including plus-size, disabled and transgender models, such as Emira D’Spain, the first Black transgender woman to be used in its ads, and Sofía Jirau, the first model with Down Syndrome to represent the brand. In April, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Camila Cabello was featured in Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s first bilingual campaign.
Most recently, Victoria’s Secret created VS&Co-Lab to highlight third-party brands.
So far the results have been mixed. While the firm met the Street’s expectations in the most recent quarter, it fell short on top- and bottom-line results, thanks to continued supply chain headwinds. Shares of Victoria’s Secret & Co., which closed down 4.61 percent Monday to $33.97 apiece, are down more than 20 percent, year-over-year.
FOR MORE ON VICTORIA’S SECRET FROM WWD.COM, SEE:
Victoria’s Secret’s ‘House of Victoria’ Hit on Wall Street
Victoria’s Secret Launches VS&Co-Lab to Highlight Other Brands
