In the past few years, the fashion industry has been growing in terms of trade, innovation and creative designs. Similarly, the video games industry has had a good time in the entertainment industry. Due to the popularity of the two sectors, they have found themselves to be mutually beneficial.
In the past, fashion and video games have been seen to tread on different paths, with fashion focusing on clothing and style while video games concentrate on entertainment within the imaginary worlds.
However, as we speak, there is a direct relationship between fashion and gaming in that both have individuals (virtual and human) who catch the eyes of the audience. When a character becomes famous in gaming, people tend to love their ways of life, including their way of dressing.
That admiration of video game characters is what inspires fashion designers to create something similar to what the characters wear. Hence, game players are able to express their love for gaming through game fashion-inspired brands.
As technology improves, the creativity of players becomes better in the way they style the characters. What is expected is for the fashion industry to follow how the new characters trend and steal an idea or two.
What Brings Fashion With Video Games Together?
Influence of Video Game Characters
The game characters are the most influential factor that brings gaming closer to fashion. These virtual heroes have a way of impacting fashion trends. One of the ways they influence fashion is their unique wardrobe. The way they are dressed using technology and loved by fans inspires the designers in the fashion industry to create something similar for gaming lovers and other fashion enthusiasts.
For example, when you explore some of the best Minecraft survival servers and pick a game, you will notice how trendy the characters are dressed. By adding some features to their fashion styles, players are able to make their characters stand out. The virtual designs are used in the real-life fashion industry to actualise the character’s dressing style in real life.
A good character to use as an example is Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. Lara was animated and dressed in cargo pants, tank tops, and boots. A lot of fans admired how she maneuvered the tough terrain in that attire, and her popularity caught the eyes of people in the fashion industry. What came next to the stalls was an adventurous but practical outfit.
Cosplay is another way video game players influence fashion, recreating the outfits of their liked game characters. During events and conventions, they showcase their imagination and skill by bringing virtual designs they see in games to reality. From these celebrations, stylists in the fashion world pick and blend a few ideas into their designs.
In-game Styling and Customisation
Players during video gaming have the opportunity to style and dress their characters in their own way to impress other players. They can choose to fit them with different clothes, shoes and other accessories every time before the game begins. In so doing, players virtually showcase their creativity by constantly changing the looks of players.
Hence, In-game fashion has provided players with a way to show off who they are and how creative they can be. It’s also a chance to compete against others and to stand out as the best in the gaming community. The best virtual designer trends all over the gaming world, and everyone can see their unique dressing.
Consequently, this trend has led to fashion designers wanting to partner with game developers so that they can bring their real-world clothing and accessories into the game. Hence, players can wear the new virtual designs from their favorite designers.
Therefore, playing video games nowadays isn’t just about having fun, but it also offers you as a designer a chance to explore your fashion ideas and sell them to the world.
Partnership with Game Developers
Lately, fashion brands and video game builders have been combining efforts to make something more exciting for players. These partnerships are meant to come up with a special design that blends the worlds of fashion and gaming.
One good example of this type of partnership is the one between Louis Vuitton and the famous game League of Legends. They worked together to create a short series consisting of major game characters on luxury bags and accessories.
Also, there was the combining of efforts between Gucci and Pokémon. In this case, they were able to release a special fashion line whose idea came from the beloved franchise.
As you have noticed, the partnerships benefit both the fashion designers in the real industry and the video game makers. On one hand, the fashion industry gets the chance to showcase its designs to the larger community of gaming. On the other hand, video game developers can influence and reach the fashion industry to join the virtual gaming world.
Mutual Impact of Social Media
As technology continues to progress to higher levels, virtual reality tends to become more real in the normal world. Hence, gaming and fashion are likely to have an even deeper relationship. The opportunities for collaboration, innovative designs, and interactive fashion within the gaming world are becoming more and more with the advancement of social media platforms.
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have also played a role in expanding the interrelationship of fashion and video games. Key players and content creators take advantage of the masses in social media to demonstrate their creativity in gaming-inspired fashion attires. In so doing, they have managed to reach out to a wider market of gamers and fashion lovers.
Additionally, the use of hashtags such as #GamingFashion and #VideoGameStyle has become popular, where online groups follow the trends of the two industries simultaneously. Hence, social media users can find their gaming-inspired fashion outfits and know what is trending in time.
Conclusion
The entwining of fashion and video gaming has promoted the presence of fashion inspired by video games around the world. Fashion designers have come to realize the power of gaming in influencing the lifestyle of players and other fans.
Hence, they have opted to build on the mutual benefit to expand their market share. In return, the designer provides players with vast options to style their characters and stand out in the gaming community. When you bring in the influence of social media in fueling the partnership through tags, the mutual rewards become greater, and the bond between the two industries becomes tighter.
