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Fashion has conquered many industries in its quest to dominate mainstream culture, and now, gaming has fallen under its spell.
While the nerdy gamers of yesteryear were hardly a bastion of style, 21st century gamers are extremely fashion conscious, leading some of the world’s fashion houses to design for games.
Read on to find out why fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, are clamoring to have their designs featured in the latest games.
Fashion gamification
Of all the tech industries that have emerged since the late 20th century, gaming has stood alone in all major ways. The remote gaming market has grown exponentially in recent years, giving players the opportunity to play free online games in a variety of genres.
Although estimates vary, market researchers such as Newsoo predict that global gaming revenue will reach $180.3 billion by 2021. Gaming is now bigger than the music and film industries combined.
For today’s players, gaming is not just a pastime; It’s a way of life. Their digital avatars are carefully crafted to express every aspect of who they are, and that includes looking good, even if all they’re doing is trying to live up to it.
Game in style
With gaming being such a lucrative industry, it’s no surprise that fashion brands are looking to capitalize on the growing appetite for style-conscious gamers.
Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière has long been a fan of science fiction and gaming. In the year As of 2016, he’s been blurring the lines between fashion and gaming, with Final Fantasy’s Lightning as the front of his S/S 2016 campaign. Elements from games like Minecraft have even inspired women’s clothing station collections.
It was only a matter of time before LV entered video games, and in 2019, Ghesquière teamed up with Riot Games to create an exclusive design for the League of Legends character, Kiana. The Empress looked well-groomed in a Louis Vuitton monogrammed dress, right down to her Ohmlatl outfit.
Ghesquière followed up by creating a one-off trophy travel case awarded to the winners of the 2019 Summoner’s Cup – the winners of the LoL World Championships. Accented with silver plate, brass and 24ct gold, the case represents a collaboration between the designer and eSports.
In the year In 2021, Balenciaga took its first steps into gaming by releasing its Fall/Winter collection through the immersive video game Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow. Maison followed this up by partnering with Epic Games to produce exclusive character outfits for the MOBA behemoth, Fortnite.
Four characters in the game can now be decked out head-to-toe in Balenciaga skins, including backpacks and those iconic Triple S trainers. Players can also visit a virtual retail row and purchase Balenciaga gear in the game, such as the Hourglass-bag glider and Speed-sneaker pickaxe.
Of course, it’s not just the fashion powers that be dipping their toes in the playful waters. More independent brands are crossing over to design for the digital realm. Polish streetwear brand MISBHV produced a range of fantasy clothing for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V. The label’s digital tees and hats, which will be worn in-game by DJ group Keinemusik, are “originally conceived in the real world.” Accuracy in the imagination.
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