This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Philipp Batura, known on Roblox as
- For those unfamiliar, how do you explain what Roblox is — and why it matters?
Simply put, Roblox is a creator platform — like YouTube, but for online games. Beyond gaming, it offers social hangouts, live events, and avatar fashion known as UGC — which is the main focus of my business.
Roblox is evolving into a true virtual world where millions spend substantial parts of their daily lives alongside their real-world activities, with over 111 million daily active users and year-over-year growth of about 40%. People spend about 2.3 hours daily on Roblox — far more than Instagram’s 33 minutes, TikTok’s 58 minutes, or YouTube’s 30 minutes.
- What first drew you to Roblox, and how did your journey begin?
During the pandemic, I came across Roblox on the App Store and downloaded it out of curiosity. When I opened it for the first time, I was a bit overwhelmed by how much content there was. I joined a high school roleplay game and wasn’t sure what to do. Unlike most games, Roblox experiences give you a lot of freedom and don’t always have a clear path — which felt confusing at first but sparked my interest.
I wanted to understand not just how the game worked, but how the entire platform functioned. That’s when I discovered that all these virtual worlds were made by regular users, not by Roblox itself. That idea really drew me in. Within the first week, I had downloaded the dev engine Roblox Studio, started learning how to use it, connected with the creator community, and began building my first game.
The first game didn’t work out, but I got plenty of experience with the platform and, more importantly, connections with other devs and producers. I came across an opportunity to collaborate on branded integrations for Capri-Sun, Happy Nation, and My Little Pony.
- What led you to focus specifically on UGC, digital fashion items? What made it stand out as an opportunity?
Around that time, Roblox opened applications for its UGC program — back then, access was limited and required a portfolio. I teamed up with modelers, submitted an application, and was accepted. I posted some items mostly for fun, with no expectations.
Then, unexpectedly, I saw a few thousand dollars show up in my Roblox account — one of my items had gone viral. That moment changed everything. I tried replicating the success and failed a few times, but eventually developed a strategy and a deep understanding of what the Roblox audience wants. It started as a passion project but quickly became something I wanted to turn into a full-time business.
- How long did it take before you saw consistent revenue?
Within three months of focusing on avatar items, I was covering production costs. At six months, I had enough revenue to hire my first full-time team member. That’s when the dream of turning it into a full-time venture became real.
- How has the business scaled since then?
UGC is highly competitive, and quality is key. I hired modelers with 5–7 years of experience in computer graphics and onboarded them to Roblox. We scaled production and divided our catalog into three distinct brands — Gatas Only, Coast UGC, and Chibi Couture — each with its own identity and audience.
Over the past year and a half, we’ve reached over 1 million monthly sales. These days, in almost every Roblox game I play or TikTok and YouTube video I watch, I see people around the world wearing my items — and it still feels surreal.
- What's one challenge new UGC creators often underestimate?
Many creators overestimate the appeal of their own ideas without considering audience demand. It’s common to launch personal concepts and expect traction — but the reality is that success comes from deeply understanding what the Roblox community actually wants. That learning curve is a major hurdle.
- What practical advice would you give to someone launching their first UGC items?
Study the market. Find the intersection between what excites you and what appeals to the masses. Watch the bestsellers on the Marketplace, follow trends on TikTok and YouTube, and stay up to date with real-world fashion. Over time, trend awareness becomes intuitive — and that’s key to creating hit items.
- What does your current workload look like, and how do you manage your time?
Each week, I analyze trends and update an ongoing mood board. At the end of each month, I turn those insights into production tasks for my in-house team. We release 1–3 unique items per day, totaling 200–600 new items monthly — including all variants and colorways. My daily routine focuses on supervising production, testing, and publishing. Once a monthly batch is complete, we do a retrospective to evaluate performance and refine the process — then the cycle starts again.
- What do you find most fulfilling about running a Roblox fashion business?
It’s the mix of creativity and strategy: turning ideas into something real, working with a talented team, constantly learning, and competing against both ourselves and others in the space. The work is both artistic and highly technical, so it never gets boring.
- Where do you see digital fashion going, and how are you positioning for the future?
The world is changing fast, and younger generations are shifting their priorities. Many now spend more on virtual outfits in Roblox or Fortnite than on real-life clothes. Recreating real-world looks in the digital space is also a huge trend. Traditional brands that aren't on platforms like Roblox are missing out on a massive and still-growing audience.
Our goal is to help brands connect with this new generation — not just through sales, but by building deep, meaningful relationships. At the same time, we want to show that digital fashion can be just as real, influential, and important as what people wear in the physical world.