fashion brands, from making digital costumes for avatars to wear, to inspiring  new levels, but the collaborations always put the brand front-and-centre.  Ultimately, however, this could be why such collaborations tend to feel shallow and gimmicky.  Gamechanger or Gimmick? Saskia Fairfull, founder of Metarial, told Inside Retail she doubts many of these collaborations have been successful for the fashion brands involved, but many of these brands don’t have another meaningful way to reach younger audiences. “It’s wholeheartedly a branding exercise,” Fairfull told Inside Retail.  “However, it’s an attempt that needs to happen for these brands to try to stay relevant, because that’s what’s at risk.”  The brands pursuing these collaborations are typically heritage brands, and may feel pressure to navigate this landscape to remain relevant. Fairfull explained that while the median age of video game players is edging higher each year, and Fortnite’s player base is reportedly largely made up of young men in their 20s to 30s, a large swath of players are younger people who don’t show up in demographic surveys.  They are typically people with little to no buying power, both in real life and in the game they’re playing, and who are unlikely to interact with branded content.  Even Fortnite’s main player base of young men are unlikely to don Balenciaga hoodies in a game where, instead, they could be a humanoid banana, Ironman or Darth Vader.  Race to Greatness US fashion brand Ralph Lauren has been working with Fortnite for some time, and, this week, it announced that it is extending its partnership to launch a dedicated ‘Race to Greatness’ world within the game where players can race one another in vehicles. The island where the experience takes place is shaped like the brand’s iconic polo symbol, and, currently, it is unknown if players can bring weapons into the mode.  Additionally, one location in the world will feature a giant red boot, which was previously sold in Fortnite, and will now be sold physically in a limited-run through the brand’s website. Only 200 boots will be available, and they’ll sell for $250. “Our gut is that it will be available for just a few minutes, because it’s the kind of thing that will sell out,” Ralph Lauren chief innovation officer David Lauren said, according to Digiday.  “Our hope is that this will be something that will go quickly, if people are engaged with ‘Fortnite’ and engaged with the experience.” While some see these collaborations as a way to test new products in digital form, before later launching them physically, Fairfull is doubtful about this approach.  “Typically, kids that play these games don’t have much disposable income to play around with, they’ve got to ask their folks,” Fairfull said.  “So, this is a pair of boots that is really only known to people who play Fortnite, and it’s only relevant to a portion of their audience. I don’t see it as a possible environment to test products. I see it at the moment as just being another marketing strategy, rather than an attempt to see if a product is worth manufacturing for the masses.”