Cyberdog to Replicate Its Cult Camden Store Online for LFW
LONDON — British fashion label Cyberdog has partnered with the immersive virtual reality experiences developer Emperia to replicate and bring its cult Camden flagship store online.
Touted as the world’s first “24-hour virtual reality shopping experience based on a real-life shop,” the Cyberdog online shop will go live after the brand presents its on-schedule fashion show on Friday night.
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Located in a basement at London’s Camden Market, Cyberdog has become a destination for partygoers to pick up kitschy rave outfits or playful souvenirs whenever. Some 1.2 million people visited the store annually pre-COVID-19, according to Terry Davy, Cyberdog’s creative director.
Davy said the virtual store aims to preserve “the human connection that music brings,” despite the impact of the pandemic.
The new online store “is so central to the heart of what Cyberdog was created for. It was also heartbreaking to think the experience of visiting the Cyberdog mothership store, which is loved by so many, would be shut off. So I thought of how we could offer some of this experience, even if visiting the store in real life was not possible.”
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He added: “The idea of making a virtual representation of the store was born, and I put the plan into action. We were soon hosting our virtual raves both inside Sansar in virtual reality, and interactively in Zoom with real-life participants.
“Behind the scenes, we were also preparing the virtual reality 24-hour shopping experience and other innovative ideas while the shop was closed. As we produce our clothing in London, we were able to make clothes on demand and we also launched Cyberlab, a new customizable section to our website,” he said.
Olga Dogadkina, Emperia’s chief executive officer, said the new virtual experience not only extends the brand’s presence beyond its physical retail space but also taps into Cyberdog’s natural target audience, “allowing users to enjoy this unique shopping experience from the comfort of their own home.”
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