The worlds of gaming and fashion have always struggled to find common ground. Yet the cliché of the unshaven, unkempt gamer/otaku reluctant to make an effort with his clothes has suffered and seems less and less relevant.
Actually over the past few years, fashion brands have become increasingly interested in video game licenses : Pokemon, Tekken, Street Fighter, Super Mario to name but a few. Since the world of video games has become such a mass market, fashion brands are taking it more and more seriously with a view to attracting new customers by being present in games and also releasing clothes inspired by the games (see this nice study). The defunct designer Virgil Abloh was saying it already in 2020, gaming will be part of the future of fashion. So let’s take a look at some of the most striking gaming x fashion brand collaborations of recent years !
Super Mario x Moschino (2015)
Nintendo and Moschino’s gaming merch collaboration in 2015 for Super Mario’s 30th birthday has been forgeted. It should not ! Let’s forget the prices, this leather bag with Browser says it all. Lovely shoot totally in the game universe, great products in adequation with the fancy DNA of the brand, we are just a little bit disapointed that the brand focused it solely on women .. dressed very skimpily ?
Death Stranding x Acronym (2020)
Launched in April 2020, designed by Yoji Shinkawa, Art Director at Kojima Productions, ACRONYM’s Death Stranding Bridges jacket featured a GORE-TEX base, weather-resistant zippers, and a hood. The Death Stranding jacket retailed at close to $2000 was sold out instantly (super limited edition of 120 items) thanks also to the involvment of Hideo Kojima in the launch. Some really serious gaming merch, maybe the most outstanding work between a fashion brand and a studio. Super shooting also with Errolson Hugh, owner of Acronym’s brand.
Street Fighter x Huff (2021)
That shirt with all the SF2 backgrounds, damn ! It pretty much sums up the collection, quite inventive overall, well executed and with a cool shooting too. It’s worth noting that the prices of the t-shirts, around $60, were clearly excessive, but Huf with its status as a legendary skate brand was well worth it (can someone confirm the quality was ok?) !
Tekken x Supreme x Yohji Yamamoto (2022)
Take the most influential street wear brand in the world, Supreme, one of the most emblematic Japanese fashion designers in history aka Yohji Yamamoto, the 2nd biggest fighting game license and you got one of the most impactful collaboration of these last years. Super complete collection of : jackets, down jackets, knit sweaters, classic t-shirts and hoodies. Add a great shooting, relayed by the biggest influencers in the world of fighting games (Mark Julio), the result is an explosive collection !
Minecraft x Burberry (2022)
This Burberry tribute to Minecraft is in our opinion one of the greatest successes of the fashion’s digitalization and its counterpart, physical collection inspired by a game. The immersion provided by the ultra crafted shooting is a fact, and the range of products is breathtaking. Don’t look at the prices though, we are talking about luxury items.
Sonic x Hypland (2023)
This one is a huge collection in terms of products between Hypland – which usually focuses on anime – and Sega. Highlights include this super nice Sonic varsity jacket, tons of t-shirts, hoodies and caps, as well as some super cool soccer jersey shirts. We only regret that the shoot only enhance the jacket, as we would have liked more situations to better project ourselves into Sonic’s universe. Great work !