Prada Linea Rossa Designs Sports Outfits for Riders Republic Game
MILAN — Taking brand experience to another level as it continues to explore new cultural languages, Prada has teamed with Ubisoft.
The Italian luxury group has joined forces with the leading video game company to integrate its Prada Linea Rossa collection into the outdoor sports playground of Riders Republic, available starting today.
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“We are excited to partner with such a creative company like Ubisoft to offer our own interpretation of the gaming world,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s marketing director and head of corporate social responsibility. “Riders Republic is about outdoor sports and performance — the perfect match with the Linea Rossa collection and its DNA. Technology and innovation have always been a natural part of Prada, so we will continue to explore new scenarios whenever interesting opportunities for the brand arise to build original and authentic experiences.”
Riders Republic invites players to connect and compete in sports, including biking, skiing, snowboarding, wing suiting and rocket wing suiting, in the American National Parks.
Each player will be able to customize its character by choosing Linea Rossa outfits and sports gear — skis, snowboards and bikes — created especially for the game by Prada.
For Riders Republic, Prada revisited signature prints with a street-style attitude and with accentuated graphics for a strong visual impact.
The brightly colored Flame print in the night setting has a high-visibility luminescent effect.
For the Wild Stripes print, uneven lines recall the animal world. The pattern creates a contrasting and at the same time camouflage effect on a snowy landscape.
Prada’s historic Camouflage Rock print is made more graphic and geometric in the shapes to emphasize the dynamic effect of the look. The visual effect of this print and of the Wild Stripes pattern is enhanced by the signature red line placed on the back of the jacket in a macro version.
image courtesy of Prada
The Linea Rossa — not to be confused with the Luna Rossa line, named after Prada’s sailboat for the America’s Cup — is a a technical collection of high-performance apparel.
“We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work with Prada to design original sports outfits and gear under their Linea Rossa collection and bring them to Riders Republic,” said Arnaud Ragot, game director at Ubisoft Annecy. “We thrive to offer our players a rich and diversified experience in the game and look forward to hearing what they have to say about this exciting new content and original in-game collection.”
The partnership provides a new platform for Prada Linea Rossa, as it translates its technical sportswear for Riders Republic, luxury and high-performance designs crafted using innovative technologies and textiles.
This is the first such project for Prada and it is in line with its increased investments in technology and customer-centric strategies and activations. During Prada’s Capital Markets Day in November, Bertelli said the company was scaling up its online channel and omni-channel customer approach, with big data leverage and focusing on purpose-driven communication through partnerships.
Starting Feb. 8, players will be able to explore the Riders Republic social hub with some areas bedecked with Prada Linea Rossa colors and a new themed experience.
Players will also be able to obtain some exclusive outfits by competing in the Shackdaddy Bandits weekly challenges by completing contracts from the in-game Prada sponsor program or by challenging their friends in a permanent event titled “Prada Beyond the Line,” one of many special in-game activations.
image courtesy of Prada
According to Lewis Ward, IDC’s research director of gaming, esports and VR/AR, the worldwide gaming industry saw revenues shoot up 119 percent in 2020 to $204.6 billion, with just 7.7 percent of that coming from video game consoles.
With the real world on pause due to COVID-19, fashion brands have been tapping into the booming world of video games. Some examples include Gucci and The North Face kicking off 2021 with a collaboration collection for Pokémon Go; Jordan Brand sneakers dropping in Fortnite; Louis Vuitton creating skins for League of Legends champions, and Christian Louboutin taking press and VIP guests to the digital Loubi World in the Zepeto social gaming app.
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