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RL T-Shirt Store Opens Branch in Second Life

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the get-your-red-hot-shirts dept.

ches_grin writes "The (very real) t-shirt maker American Apparel has opened a virtual store in Second Life, becoming the first major retailer to set up shop in the SL universe. Though items cost only $1, the company hopes to bolster real life sales. Article includes some screenshots of the store and clothes." From the article: "The amount of money American Apparel has made so far on Second Life is probably not as much as they would make in a day at a single store ... But the idea meshes existing Korean online game models in which players can buy accessories for their avatars in micro-transactions, with the idea of the social Web--an online, virtual community. American Apparel's store suggests a new form of videogaming only starting to be explored in the U.S."

9 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Like they say, by Clockwurk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A fool and his money are soon parted.

  2. Made in the USA? by Golias · · Score: 3, Funny

    So, are these virtual T-Shirts created by American gamers on their payroll, or in East Asian sweatshops?

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    1. Re:Made in the USA? by Otter · · Score: 3, Informative
      American Apparel's two big selling points are:
      • American-made, non-sweatshop products
      • A creepy pervert owner and creepy, sleazy advertising
      So ... err, I forgot what point I was going to make.
      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  3. Next... by DaSenator · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...we're going to see Abercrombie. Now your 'hard earned' Linden Dollars can be used to buy a $25 not real t-shirt, instead of a $50 real t-shirt!

    I for one welcome our new virtual overpriced fashion masters.

    --
    Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.
  4. Lots of opportunity... by subl33t · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...for Fredricks of Hollywood. There are a million overweight males in basements looking to kit out their hot online female personas.

  5. Think Geek? by miller60 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where's the Think Geek boutique? All those Second Life folks need to get themselves some Slashdot T-shirts.

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    RichM
    Data Center Knowledge
  6. Can you do it yourself? by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't know much about SL, but I have heard that people have an unprecedented amount of freedom to create their own items. Does this extend to player-created clothing? If so, how long until someone bootlegs the $1 t-shirt for 50 cents, or even better, for free?

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  7. RL Advertising by blueZhift · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This actually looks like a nice advertising move. Imagine if your first encounter with the Gap was in some game like SL and later you discovered the real thing in RL. It might be amusing/cool enough to make you more likely to buy something at the RL store. It's probably too soon to tell, but American Apparel might just see some RL store sales from this. Heck, this /. story about them won't hurt either. The only real problem here is that SL is not the most popular MMO around. Now if they could open a shop in Azeroth, then they'd be talking!

    --
    To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
  8. What's the appeal of Second Life? by BigZaphod · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This may be slightly off-topic, but I have to ask.. I tried Second Life once a few months ago and it seemed like a huge, slow, disorganized mess with bad graphics and a terrible user interface. (I was using the Mac client - which may not be as good as the windows one, I don't know). What's the appeal there? I have this sinking feeling that it is a success for the same reasons MySpace is - but I'd really like to think I was just missing something. :-)

    --
    Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch