Drest 2.0: Revolutionizing Beauty Gaming with Actual-World Vogue and Luxurious Beauty

Key Takeaways:

• Drest targets grownup avid gamers with real-world luxurious magnificence and style.
• Drest 2.0 merges editorial storytelling and interactive, shoppable gameplay.
• Partnerships with trade icons like Josh Wood redefine magnificence gaming past Gen Alpha.

The kaleidoscope of magnificence gaming is inundated with innovation. From Roblox to Fortnite, Twitch, and extra, the fashionable age presents customers with quite a few alternatives to reinvent themselves within the digital realm, as conglomerates and types leverage these platforms like digital billboards.

GWI experiences that 39% of magnificence followers additionally play video video games, making them desperate to customise their avatars with the most recent merchandise from huge manufacturers, together with Kiehl’s, Sol de Janeiro, and Fenty, amongst different viral names. 

However, as most of as we speak’s widespread beauty-infused gaming moments encourage the inclusion of cosmetics in a digital fantasy world, a spot is left out there for a gaming house that positions magnificence at its forefront in a real-life-focused method, for the mature shopper. Drest—based by Lucy Yeomans, former Editor-in-Chief of Net-A-Porter and Harper’s BAZAAR, bridges this hole, merging the artistic worlds of luxurious style, magnificence, and way of life with the infinite prospects of the metaverse.

BeautyMatter caught up with Yeomans to debate Drest’s current breakthroughs, together with its relaunch as Drest 2.0, and its newest enterprise into magnificence in collaboration with hair stylist Josh Wood.

Debuting Democratization

Drest launched in late 2019 as “the world’s first interactive luxury styling game,” in-built partnership with investor and tech entrepreneur Graham Edwards. Featuring licensing offers with iconic manufacturers together with Burberry, Gucci, Prada, and Valentino, avid gamers full styling challenges based mostly on real-life style and wonder collections—sharing their creations amongst friends to compete for the crown.

Since its founding days, Yeomans positioned Drest as a platform to democratize high-fashion and wonder schooling. “The goal of Drest has always been very different from other gaming platforms,” she mentioned. “Drest is about bringing the real world of fashion and beauty into users’ lives, rather than bringing fashion and beauty into a virtual fantasy area.”

Yeomans recalled her time as Editor-in-Chief, when manufacturers would ask for her steerage on the subsequent huge factor for style and wonder’s upcoming technology (as we speak’s older Gen Z and youthful millennial bracket of 25-35). “That’s when it struck me that people don’t want to just listen and take in content; they want to be part of it.”

Drest infuses sophistication into its gameplay, permitting customers from any background to take pleasure in style and wonder’s elite. “Drest is like an engine to a fabulous car that allows people to come and experiment with progress in the world of high fashion. It takes away the nervousness of walking into a store to interact with a £10,000 ($13,455) Oscar de  la Renta dress and puts it into the hands of the gamer.”

Yeomans’ imaginative and prescient for Drest got here to life virtually immediately after launch, as customers flocked to the app to immerse themselves within the progressive world. After 4 profitable start-up years, in 2023, Drest entered a brand new part of acceleration, appointing Henri Holm, a seasoned govt with gaming and web3 experience, as Chief Financial Officer to information monetary technique and digital growth. In June of that 12 months, Drest secured a £15 million ($17.4 million) funding spherical led by the household workplace of co-founder Edwards, bringing complete funding to round £30 million ($40 million) since inception. 

By this level, Drest had achieved 250% year-over-year (YoY) person development, partnered with over 260 luxurious manufacturers, and reported £72.5 million ($92 million) in 2022 income, solidifying its place within the booming gaming market. The capital fueled the event of Drest 2.0, an evolution of the app supported by R&D.

Leveling up Luxe

Yeomans described Drest 2.0—which launched in November 2024—as a “second bite at the cherry” that “takes on the learning of the initial game.” The relaunch integrated suggestions from Drest model companions and constant customers to introduce upgrades, notably the app’s transition right into a “fusion of gaming and publishing.”

Drest 2.0 doubles down on Yeomans’ need to carry the actual world of style and wonder to avid gamers. “Drest audiences are absolutely motivated by creativity, self-expression, and getting close to the brands that they love, so we made that happen,” she defined.

The app performs on editorial types by integrating storytelling modes, curation, and the visible polish of a high-end style journal and embedding it into gameplay. “There’s enough fantasy in fashion and beauty without having to make stuff up,” Yeomans added. “All the stories that we run on the news feed are inspired by what’s happening in the world.”

To elevate the sensation of real-world relatability, the app is designed to the very best caliber. “Drest 2.0 is incredibly sophisticated. We pride ourselves on making sure that imagery is as good as traditional magazine imagery,” she added. This extends to magnificence gameplay, which inspires sensible creativity. Users can experiment with merchandise in surprising, real-life-inspired methods, equivalent to repurposing a lipstick as an eyeliner.

Further fusing actual life into Drest, 2.0 consists of click-through hyperlinks to manufacturers’ exterior web sites to encourage engagement and purchases. The inspiration for this characteristic got here because of the unique sport’s Beauty Mode, the place 80% of customers who interacted with Gucci Beauty via challenges wished to make a purchase order, and an extra 92% went on to interact externally with the model.