Discovering the myth of metaverse fashion

This chapter explores the early metaverse fashion narratives (2013–2022), which appear to prioritise economic gain over aesthetics, creativity, or consumer needs. Through critical discursive matrix analysis of 939 international media texts about Roblox and fashion, the study shows that financial publications dominated coverage (75% of specialised media). In contrast, fashion trade outlets contributed less than 4%. Corporate executives comprised one-third of quoted sources, while actual users – primarily young gamers – represented under 3% of voices. The macroanalysis demonstrates how discourse transformed from exploring creative possibilities to commercial colonisation centred on market penetration and monetisation strategies. The second part of the article provides a microanalysis of a specific trend identified through the critical discursive matrix analysis, namely, the 2021 Roblox Gucci Garden event, with particular focus on the widely discussed transaction when a virtual Gucci Dionysus Bag with Bee was sold for more than its physical counterpart. The chapter shows how this single transaction became the most cited example of the metaverse fashion&s;s investment potential, transforming into a foundational myth within the emerging discourse on metaverse fashion. The study reveals metaverse fashion operating primarily within Anglo-American financial networks, constructing young users as demographic targets rather than creative participants.