Drest takes beauty into gameplay and back again

7 Dec 2021 --- In a move that Founder Lucy Yeomans states has “elevated the beauty experience in Drest”, the luxury styling game launched its Beauty Mode tool in October. Beauty Mode is hyper-realistic, close-up gameplay designed to enable players to showcase their makeup artistry skills, explore their creativity and experiment with cosmetic looks on Drest’s model avatars.

As a magazine editor, Yeomans witnessed the power of beauty with its ability to influence fashion and vice versa. “It is a highly creative form of experimentation, discovery and self-expression, which is why launching beauty has been on my agenda since I first had the idea for Drest 10 years ago,” says Yeomans. 

Drest experienced a key challenge in introducing Beauty Mode; getting the tool right so it would showcase beauty in a way that respects what beauty brings to fashion and to the consumer, as well as exciting and delighting both its players and partnering brands.

Click to EnlargeDrest plans to grow its selection of avatars to include supermodels and influencers. Source: Drest.Detailing the gaming application, Yeomans says: “It is also one of our most ambitious projects so far and took us months to get right and then perfect. We wanted to go the extra mile and allow brands to showcase the different ways certain products could be applied, so it really showed the versatility of individual pieces.”

To build the comprehensive collection of avatars, Drest looked at over 4,000 images of close-up model poses. The brand set up technical photoshoots with professional models to ensure every gaming detail is as natural and lifelike as possible. Drest then applied each makeup product item to its avatars individually. As every avatar has different facial features including face shape, eye shape and lip size, the team wanted to ensure it correctly matched skin tones and got the cosmetic placement right. 

To match makeup with every model, the brand deferred to the expertise of its Consultant Makeup Artist, Mary Greenwell, which involved months of discussion and iterations. “It is incredibly thrilling that Beauty Mode has been one of our most successful launches to date,” says Yeomans. “Player adoption and engagement surpassed our wildest expectations and it brought a lot of new players into Drest.”

Commenting on the link between beauty and gaming, Yeomans confirms what has been referenced in the industry for years: “There is a huge connection between gamers and beauty enthusiasts.” Both are tech-savvy audiences who are creatively motivated and love to play. The number one driver for Drest’s players is creativity and experimentation, which, as Yeomans details, “explains why adding more beauty was the biggest request we had from our players”. 

Platforms like Snapchat allow customers to see a close approximation of what a lipstick might look like on their face. “But where else can they play around with makeup combinations, change the eyebrow shape, try different hairstyles and win praise from others for their makeup artistry?” asks Yeomans. 

Drest enables that experimentation as well as allowing players to upskill and feel recognized and rewarded. “This insight, plus the fact that the mobile gaming industry is in huge growth and 63% of all mobile gamers are female, means that gaming is where the market’s attention is,” details Yeomans. “And where their attention is where brands need to be connecting with them.” 

From virtual experiments to real world looks

Drest launched in October 2019 in partnership with Gucci. Since then, the duo has run several photoshoot and moodboard campaigns centered around the brand’s fashion and accessories. “We had many brands interested in being the first to enter this space with us, but our longstanding partnership with Gucci made it the obvious choice,” says Yeomans. “Gucci is one of the most pioneering and collaborative luxury brands operating in the gaming space, so we are thrilled to be working with them so regularly and successfully.”

“We have only dipped our toes into beauty thus far and already the response from our users has been extraordinary, so it is an area of real focus for our business,” shares Yeomans. “We have some exciting new partnerships, launches and more innovation in this space coming in 2022, so it is going to be an exciting year for beauty at Drest.” 

Drest players adopt the role of a fashion stylist, responding to daily styling challenges inspired by real-time fashion news. They have access to the latest products from over 160 of the world’s leading fashion brands including Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Prada, Off- White, Loewe, Chloé, Thom Browne, Burberry and Stella McCartney. The digital fashion assortment is provided by both Farfetch and brands directly, enabling users to shop in real life for the content they have created and competed with virtually.

“Drest democratizes the fashion content, inspiration and brand discovery experience and encourages the sustainable production of content as well as thoughtful consumerism, allowing fashion lovers to express themselves and experiment virtually - to ‘style before they buy’,” explains Yeomans.

Drest will now focus on introducing a number of supermodels and influencers as avatars into the game, with virtual hair and makeup designed by beauty and fashion industry heavyweights. The platform will incorporate philanthropy at its core by spearheading initiatives. Drest also details that it will donate five percent of every micro-transaction generated in-game to causes that support digital responsibility, mental health, body positivity and female empowerment.

“Beauty embraced digital very early on and as such it is way ahead of the curve than fashion,” says Yeomans. Commenting on expectations for beauty and gaming in 2022, she adds: “Over the next year I think we will see the ‘Beauty Metaverse’ emerge; the fusion of the real world and the virtual world and beauty brands experimenting with technologies like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and crypto cosmetics.”

Crypto cosmetics are driving interest and investment in beauty, with digital reproductions of products emerging. Cryptocurrency rewards programs are also appearing, providing beauty consumers with flexibility, convenience and choice. Unlike loyalty programs that only allow consumers to make purchases with one retailer, cryptocurrency enables shoppers to spend or save tokens.

Yeomans concludes: “I think beauty brands will continue to explore platforms like Drest that bring real life and our virtual lives together, offering a place for escapism and an exciting yet safe space for brand discovery, self-expression and creativity.” 

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, BPC Insights Senior Journalist