BrandLab360 appoints former Ralph Lauren VP as Chief Operations Officer

V-commerce company BrandLab360, whose clients include Barbour, Timberland and Estée Lauder, has appointed former Vice President of Ralph Lauren, Simon Lee, as its Chief Operations Officer.

One of the earlier adopters of metaverse technology, BrandLab360 headhunted Lee for his expertise in the fashion sector to help develop the business further.

The Welsh company, the first to pioneer the use of Web 3.0 from a browser, was founded in 2016 by Jennifer Drury and Dan O'Connell. The firm has built a global reputation for providing immersive virtual reality solutions for the fashion and beauty industry and now has offices in the UK and USA.

Unlike other platforms, customers can shop in the virtual reality stores complete with life-like avatars and buy goods direct rather than having to leave the virtual reality space to buy the products.

Simon Lee said: “As Vice President at Ralph Lauren I was often leading and collaborating on projects to either introduce or develop new technology to push the boundaries of a very traditional business model. It was always essential to keep both the customer and the brand experience at the forefront of any development, that balance is critical to luxury and premium brands.

“At BrandLab360 both the fashion and beauty sectors are main focuses. We are creating both B2B and B2C immersive metaverse solutions for some of the world's leading brands. It is very rewarding being able to apply two decades of luxury brand commerce experience to our clients' business objectives.”

In a joint statement, Drury and O'Connell added: “We are delighted to have Simon on board and are excited about the expertise and opportunities that he can bring.”

BrandLab360 are “pushing boundaries to champion solutions and brand objectives across all industries”, and other major clients include Dune, Nautica, Skechers, Harley Davidson and Mercedes Benz. The use of immersive gamification in virtual 3D stores has led to more rewarding user journeys, higher engagement and growth for clients.