epic games will virtualize LVMH's fitting rooms, runway shows, and 360 product carousels

LVMH and Epic Games at Viva Technology 2023

During the Viva Technology 2023 in Paris, LVMH and Fortnite creator Epic Games team up to fashion a series of virtual experiences for the brands of the Group’s, including creating virtual fitting rooms, runway shows, 360 product carousels, augmented reality, metaverse experiences, and digital twins. LVMH brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, FENDI, and Dior are set to be empowered by Epic Games’ 3D creation tools such as Unreal Engine, Reality Capture, Twinmotion, and MetaHuman technology to unlock the Maisons’ gaming and virtual prowess and reach out to a wider audience through 3D and the booming augmented and virtual realities.

During VivaTech, held between June 14th and 17th, 2023 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, LVMH has already usurped the chance to showcase what its teaming up with Epic Games could look like. Inside the Dream Box, a 600-square-meter space dedicated to LVMH, the brands of the Group adopt virtual reality and 3D to excite their visitors, such as Louis Vuitton’s VR headset which takes the visitors on a personal tour of the historic workshops and the founder’s family home to Asnières. Fendi does the same using augmented reality and brings ‘omnichannel’ to life by escorting the visitors into the Maison’s headquarters in Rome as they put on the headsets.

images courtesy of LVMH

LVMH and Epic Games have teamed up before

Even before the announcement at Viva Technology, LVMH has already collaborated with Epic Games for its 3D creation tools. In VivaTech 2022, Epic Games devised a metaverse experience for Bulgari, dubbed ‘Virtual Rome’, using its Unreal Engine 5, resulting in a hyperrealistic, dreamlike city of the Maison in the heart of Rome. In the same year, LVMH also presented Livi, its first virtual ambassador developed and brought to virtual life thanks to Unreal Engine and MetaHuman technology, Epic’s framework for creating highly realistic digital humans.

In 2023, Louis Vuitton spotlights the ‘Digital Show Experience’ at the LVMH Pavilion in VivaTech, designed using Epic’s Unreal Engine 5, MetaHuman technology, and Reality Capture. The show also comes with Louis Vuitton arcade machines created by Flex Arcade for the tech event. It generates a six-minute interactive and immersive experience that allows the visitors to relive the 2023 Fall-Winter Men’s show of the Maison, which took place at the Louvre Cour Carrée in January 2023. Along with the virtual experience, visitors can enjoy the viewing of the Louis Vuitton men’s collection as they virtually journey through the seven rooms in the décor of the show.

Louis Vuitton presents the ‘Digital Show Experience’ at the LVMH Pavilion in Viva Technology 2023

expertise in 3D tools and ecosystems

LVMH Group Managing Director Toni Belloni says that the partnership with Epic Games will help accelerate the Group’s expertise in 3D tools and ecosystems. ‘We have always been committed to innovations with the potential to bring our customers new experiences. Interactive games, which have developed into a full-fledged cultural phenomenon, are a perfect example. We will also engage more effectively with young generations who are very much at ease with these codes and uses,’ he adds.

Bill Clifford, VP, Unreal Engine at Epic Games, echoes Belloni’s statement. ‘With this partnership, we will work with LVMH’s designers to transform physical and digital product creation using Epic’s suite of advanced creator tools. We are excited to accelerate the Group’s adoption of Unreal Engine, Reality Capture, Twinmotion and MetaHuman technology, and help LVMH’s global brands engage with customers through immersive digital experiences,’ he says.

Epic Games will virtualize LVMH Maisons’ fitting rooms, runway shows, and 360 product carousels