Gillette Venus Debuts ‘Skinclusive’ Clothing on Animal Crossing

Gillette Venus is the latest beauty brand to capitalize on the Animal Crossing boom.

The brand is aiming for inclusivity with Gillette Venus‘ custom-designed “skinclusive summer line,” which allows players of the simulation game to add acne, vitiligo, freckles and cellulite to their characters. Other options include psoriasis, arm hair, tattoos, scars, burns, stretch marks, mastectomies, pigmentation, prosthesis, eczema, nevi, rosacea, wrinkles or various body types. As each option is available in any of the game’s skin tones, the line offers players an additional 264 options to represent their skin tones and conditions.

Inclusivity isn’t new for the brand, which began its “My Skin. My Way.” campaign and stopped retouching all imagery in 2018. “A lot of our communications have been about representation and imagery. This was the first time we could bring to her the way she looks, and to bring ‘My Skin. My Way.’ into the virtual world,” said Anthony Van Dijk, senior brand director for Venus.

The options, which are designed by Nicole Cuddihy and offered through the game’s custom design feature for clothing, will be available as of today.

As far as the impetus for the partnership, it was primarily the pandemic giving way to a rise in users of the game, although “with this partnership, it is about a sort of meeting the base. It’s not necessarily about consumer acquisitions, and it’s not as blatant as ‘here’s a razor.’ That for us would be not at all a service, that would just be trying to be very in-your-face in a non-authentic way,” he said. “Even though gaming is an escape, you want to be able to represent yourself as accurately as you want. It’s about connecting with her on a virtual means. It isn’t about selling Venus, it’s about living and breathing the campaign.”

The brand’s venture into the world of gaming also comes with a few other initiatives, including a monetary donation to an undisclosed initiative for women in the gaming sphere. On Aug. 31, the brand will host a YouTube Live party with a surprise celebrity. “It’s something we believe is going to make a real difference,” Van Dijk said.

For more from WWD.com, see:

Parfums Givenchy Launches Makeup in Animal Crossing

A Look Into the Fashion World of Animal Crossing

P&G Takes $8 Billion Writedown on Gillette

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