Fashion has taken over many industries in its quest to dominate mainstream culture, and now, gaming has fallen under its sartorial spell.
While the edgy gamers of yore weren’t exactly bastions of style, 21st century gamers are extremely fashion conscious, leading some of the world’s fashion houses to make an effort to design 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.
The gamification of fashion
Of all the technology industries that have emerged since the late 20th century, gaming stands alone as the most mainstream of all. The remote gaming market has grown exponentially in recent years, providing players with opportunities to play free online games across a spectrum of genres.
Although estimates vary, market researchers like Newzoo estimated that global gaming revenue is up to $180.3 billion by 2021. Gaming is now bigger than the music and film industries combined.
For today’s gamers, gaming is not just a hobby; it’s a way of life. Their digital avatars are carefully crafted to express all aspects of their identity, and that includes looking good, even if all they do is try to survive.
Games in style
With gaming being such a lucrative industry, it’s no surprise that fashion brands are keen to capitalize on the growing appetites of style-conscious gamers.
Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière has long been a sci-fi and gaming enthusiast. Back in 2016, he was blurring the lines between fashion and gaming by putting Final Fantasy’s Lightning as the headliner of the S/S 2016 campaign. Elements from games like Minecraft have even inspired his womenswear 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 League of Legends character Qiyana. The Empress of the Elements was suitably dressed in a monogrammed Louis Vuitton outfit, right down to her Ohmlatl weapon.
Ghesquière followed this up by creating a Trophy Travel Bag awarded to the winners of the 2019 Summoner’s Cup – the LoL world championships. Cast in silver plate, brass and accented with 24kt gold, the box represented the collaboration of the designer and eSports.
In 2021, Balenciaga took its first steps into gaming with the release of 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 apparel for its MOBA giant, Fortnite.
Four in-game characters can now be dressed in head-to-toe Balenciaga leather, with customization including backpacks and those iconic Triple S trainers. Additionally, players can also purchase Balenciaga gear to use in-game , such as the Hourglass bag slider and the Speed sneaker pick, by visiting the virtual Retail Row – the Fortnite model in the company’s brick-and-mortar stores.
Of course, it’s not just the fashion powers that are dipping their toes into the gaming waters. More independent brands are moving into designing for the digital realm. Polish streetwear brand MISBHV produced a virtual clothing range for RockStar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V. The label’s digital titles and hoodies, worn in-game by DJ set Keinemusik, were “first conceived in the real world” to ensure authenticity in the virtual one.
