Experience the Anrealage Pyramid Dress via the SYKY app on your Apple Vision Pro.
SYKY
Elf Beauty, Balenciaga, as well as SYKY and Anrealage have released interactive, immersive experiences for Apple Vision Pro. With shopping features and gamification already integrated or in the works, the impact on beauty and fashion retail is enormous.
SYKY: Behind the scenes at Henreale Giatelier
The latest platform to release a fashion experience app for Apple Vision Pro is Alice Delahunt’s SYKY Collective, which was launched via a showcase by Japanese label Anrealage.
ANREALAGE founder Kunihiko Morinaga created a version of the color-changing pyramid dress using his unique photochromic fabric technology (material that changes color under UV light) and a custom piece worn by Beyoncé on her Renaissance tour. Users can move around the dress and discover interaction points to learn more about the design and fabric. The idea particularly resonated with Morinaga, who always starts in 3D before moving on to the physical design process.
SYKY says it will create further experiences with the fashion house, such as digital extensions of its ateliers, presentations or “new retail environments for inspecting custom-designed garments.”
“At SYKY, we believe the fashion industry is undergoing a period of significant change as reality converges and digital fashion experiences blend with the physical world,” said Alice Delahunt, CEO and Founder of SYKY.
Balenciaga: Expanding the Runway with Gamification
Balenciaga experience with Apple Vision Pro.
Balenciaga
A week ago, Balenciaga unveiled the first phase of a unique Apple Vision Pro experience, developed in collaboration with AR Arweave creative studio Atomic Digital Design, focusing on Balenciaga’s Spring 2025 show in Shanghai in May, featuring drone shot views, stereoscopic video (different views for right and left eye vision), interactive lookbook features, access to past collection content and more.
Going forward, as shared in a statement, Balenciaga will “continue to explore the possibilities of technology through future content updates and new features that offer better ways to engage with the brand.”
Recent brand activities can be insightful, especially when it comes to gaming: The latest instalment in the Balenciaga Music Series is a collaboration with French composer and musician BFRND, who has created the original soundtrack for every Balenciaga presentation since 2017. The series consists of a four-hour original playlist, a video game, and limited-edition physical merchandise with an all-access pass embedded via a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip.
The pixelated game is set across various Balenciaga show sets, and while the first three levels are accessible to anyone via a dedicated minisite, WeChat or the touchscreens at the Balenciaga Paris Montaigne and Shanghai IAPM flagship stores, the fourth, bonus level, can only be accessed via the aforementioned NFC chip – and therefore only by paying customers.
elf Beauty: Games and social shopping
Visuals from gaming platform Roblox’s elf UP! retail experience.
fairy
The beauty industry was ahead of its time. In early 2024, elf Beauty released its own Apple Vision Pro app. Created by virtual store platform Obsess, the app features guided meditations, stretching exercises, an interactive paint-by-number game, and, crucially, the ability to shop with Apple Pay.
According to Neha Singh, CEO and founder of Obsess, this gives users “an entirely new way to engage with brands” and “paves the way for a new era of immersive storytelling in spatial shopping and beauty.”
Incidentally, Elf also recently became the first beauty brand to test real-world commerce on Walmart’s Roblox. Players can purchase items like hoodies, lipstick and sunscreen products at virtual kiosks within the immersive Elf UP! experience. Those who complete a purchase are also given a “virtual twin” of the product to use on the gaming platform.
“Testing commerce on Roblox is the next evolution in our efforts to merge beauty with our immersive platform,” said Corey Marchisotto, chief marketing officer at Elf Beauty.
