Fashion and Gaming: Flexing in the New Digital Age

Ever since the dawn of gaming, players have sought to alter their character's appearance to fit their own style and aesthetic, and for good reason. By allowing us to alter our digital avatars, developers have allowed players to form an emotional investment in both the game and the character. For many, the idea of customising a character has become as much a part of a game as playing it, and it would seem the world of fashion is finally starting to take note.

As time goes on, the lines between both fashion and gaming are starting to blur, and as a result, more and more fashion companies are seeking to get involved with the industry. With the looming presence of the metaverse gradually making itself known through each and every avenue of media, fashion is seeing the opportunity to break through into the virtual world by conveniently positioning its product where they're going to be seen most.

As it stands, the gaming industry is now worth over $300 billion, with over 2.9 billion active players worldwide. When compared with the £283 billion generated by the luxury goods industry last year, it might not come as any surprise that these two entities would eventually collide.

To celebrate the evolving collaborative world of both fashion and gaming, we thought we would explore some of our favourite moments to date. Join us here at The Sole Supplier as we take a brief trip down memory lane to recap some of our favourites so far!

The first notable instance of fashion and gaming coming together came pre-pandemic as French luxury label Louis Vuitton collaborated with League of Legends in 2019. With over 150 million registered users, League of Legends is one of the most played video games in the world, so it would be fair to say Louis Vuitton likely jumped at the opportunity to join forces.

The collaboration itself consisted of a real-life clothing collection as well as a digital selection of in-game skins showcasing some of the luxury house's products.

With shared values of both innovation and pioneering, this collaboration bridged the gap between the two worlds and seemingly opened the floodgates for other companies to jump on the bandwagon.

After releasing its online serves for Grand Theft Auto V back in 2013, Rockstar Games has made character customisation a key element of the game's experience, and with thousands of outlandish outfit choices available, it was only going to be a matter of time before we saw a clothing collaboration make its way onto the game.

In August of 2021, GTA collaborated with Los Angeles-based clothing brand Born x Raised for a mix of digital in-game designs available for purchase at the game's many stores and vendors. Using in-game credits, users could purchase T-Shirts, jackets and more, with each piece advertising the Born x Raised brand in classic Los Santos style.

With fans of the brand often likening its lookbooks and editorial styled imagery to the GTA aesthetic, this link-up was truly a match made in heaven. Needless to say, we're excited to see what comes next to the Grand Theft Auto digital world.

While many of us might have imagined Balenciaga's obsession with the gaming world would come to an end proceeding its collaboration with PlayStation, few could imagine what would come next. In September of 2021, Balenciaga joined forces with Epic Games' online battle-royale shooter Fortnite to produce a selection of in-game skins as well as physical merchandise.

Working in tandem and under Demna's gaze, we saw the duo redesign the characters Doggo, Ramirez, Knight & Banshee, with each decked out in previous runway designs. In addition, hats, hoodies, T-Shirts, track jackets, and denim jackets were all produced for a physical collection, with co-branded signatures featured throughout.

Naturally, given Balenciaga's unique approach to marketing, this collaboration caught the attention of fans around the globe, and with an average of 24 million daily Fortnite players, it surely targeted a new audience for the Spanish luxury house.

With Roblox's virtual world at the forefront of the metaverse, it only seemed fitting that Gucci would mark its 100th anniversary historically on the gaming platform. Back in May of 2021, Gucci made an unexpected appearance on the platform in the form of an interactive virtual garden space.

Designed as an exhibition complete with different rooms, the space showcased the house’s inimitable creative vision. As players entered the garden, they shed their regular avatar appearance and were instead turned into neutral mannequins, complete with floral and striped appearances.

Players were also granted the opportunity to buy some of Gucci's most revered items for their characters, with one virtual Dionysus bag selling for a whopping $4,115, which is near $1,000 more than its real-life counterpart. The garden itself wasn't a permanent fixture and instead just graced the server for a total of 14 days, meaning those late to the show weren't able to experience this futuristic event in all its glory.

Roblox's involvement in fashion didn't quite end with its Gucci collaboration, nor will it moving forward. In November of 2021, Roblox and Nike worked together to produce the Nikeland experience, a new place for Nike fans to connect, create and share experiences, all within the digital world.

NIKELAND itself was an immersive 3D space spanning a large in-game area. Buildings and locations within NIKELAND were inspired by their real-life counterparts, such as the brand's Oregon-based headquarters. Inside NIKELAND, players had the option to play games against other users, with augmented reality versions of "the floor is lava" and other playground classics all included. In addition to this, players could also explore a digital showroom and even purchase featured Nike products for their avatars to wear within the Roblox game.

This virtual space even paired with the physical world by using ‘accelerometer’ technology. By recording offline movements, this technology rewarded players with in-game progress, superpowers such as long-jump and super-speed and item-based rewards, encouraging the younger player base of the Roblox game to get moving outside of the game also.

With both industries projected to grow alongside the metaverse, it's a safe prediction to assume that we're going to see more fashion and gaming linkups for years to come, both virtually and in real life. Companies like Gucci seem to be taking it in its stride, with last year's 100 Thieves and Xbox link-ups demonstrating its ability to be ahead of the curve.

It remains to be seen just how long fashion will be obsessed with the gaming world, but for now, the industry's mission is somewhat justified. By tapping into the gaming market, fashion has managed to open itself up to an array of untapped potential customers, opening a new revenue stream that will soon be worth upwards of billions.

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