In addition to tweaks and updates to gameplay, it also has an entirely new tech stack, and is built on gaming engine Unity, which is the same used by Pokémon Go, among others. Yeomans says that the previous tech platform wasn’t easy to scale. The new version, launching today, will be available on both iOS and Android, which is a first. This is on the heels of a £15 million investment announced in June 2023 from the family office of Drest co-founder and co-chair Graham Edwards, who also previously invested. This brings the total raised to £45 million.
Drest 2.0 lands at an interesting time. When it launched, it was the first of its kind to try to bridge the gap between the booming gaming world and traditional fashion followers; Yeomans often shared that supermodel Kate Moss enjoyed playing it, with Drest brokering partnerships with Moss and other models including Precious Lee and Imaan Hammam to appear as dressable figures in the game. It also partnered with hairstylist Sam McKnight to provide model hairstyles, cosmetics brands Nars and Gucci Beauty, Flowerbx to provide the virtual flowers, and even the Wonder Woman film on promotional appearances and styling challenges. (Brands don’t need to pay to participate, and Drest makes money by selling digital upgrades to players, as well as through partnerships).
Its relaunch arrives against a different reality. Roblox and Fortnite are now far more recognised among fashion brands and boast a who’s-who of brand appearances and partners, such as Nike, Nars Cosmetics, Ralph Lauren, Coach and Gucci, who are coming to play in hopes of establishing affinity with the younger, aspirational customer. Styling challenge games are all the rage on Roblox, but the focus is less on imitating the aspirational life of an editor and more on seeding influencers within the organic community. Roblox is also most popular with those aged 24 or under, with more than half aged 16 or below, while Drest’s original mission was to appeal to a more mature fashion fan who grew up reading fashion magazines. Other standalone mobile styling games have also since launched, with the most notable being Tommy Hilfiger’s Fashionverse.
But the maturation of gaming could also be a tailwind. “Obviously, lots of brands are moving into the fashion and gaming space. We want to elevate that and attract a different audience,” Yeomans says. “A lot of the brands started going wide with their partnerships with big platforms, and now they want a more qualitative and qualified audience.”
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