By Tom Phillips

International fashion house Balenciaga has released a limited edition collection of T-shirts and hoodies with an embedded NFC tag that enables purchasers to access an exclusive music track recorded by UK band Archive together with a curated playlist with a tap of their NFC smartphone.

The Paris-based luxury brand has added a patch containing the NFC chip to each of the garments in the range — also known as Archive — which links to a digital product passport that also serves to authenticate the product and can be updated with new features and content in future.

“Music is a big part of my life and is an integral part of Balenciaga’s culture,” artistic director Demna Gvasalia says.

 “Balenciaga Music was created to share my favourite musical artists and their personal tastes and influences. We have now expanded this project to give a more personal and complete music experience with exclusive content and interactive technology.

“To kick off this new chapter, we selected Archive, who made an 8.5-minute exclusive track, ‘Patterns’, and a seven-hour playlist, each especially for Balenciaga.”

Digital fashion house MNTGE added NFC chips to textile patches that link to a digital twin in August.