Video games are becoming increasingly popular, and the fashion industry is taking them seriously due to the opportunities they present for partnerships, influencer marketing, and virtual sales. We can confidently declare that the newest and trendiest luxury collaboration has been formed: it involves a global luxury fashion company and a game developer rather than a global luxury fashion brand and an artist.
These days, there's a growing need for fashionable virtual clothing and accessories due to the opportunity to express personal style, personalize avatars, and engage with new and interested audiences. Thanks to the expansion of e-commerce, the fashion business now has exposure to new revenue sources, and the gaming industry is estimated at billions of dollars. Well-known fashion retailers like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Moschino have entered the virtual fashion space by leveraging the massively successful game franchises, from League of Legends and The Sims to Roblox and other metaverse platforms for gaming.
It's fascinating to observe which of the world's luxury houses is keeping up-or even ahead of the curve-with the rapid evolution of the premium market. Gucci consistently occupies the top spot. LV and Chanel are two more names to add to the list when it relates to menswear and accessories. But what about gaming and virtual reality, as well as luxury tech? Let's find out who's currently engaged in that "game".
Why Video Games and Fashion Go Well TogetherThere has always been a tight connection between identity and fashion. Consumers express their uniqueness and sense of style through labels, clothing, and fashion trends. In many ways, gaming is similar to this. Because both fashion and gaming seek to provide fans with a world of fantastical, aspirational experiences, they go hand in hand.
The virtual avatars of gamers adopt the appearance and clothing of their real-life counterparts. Consider the multiplayer shooter game Fortnite, wherein a player's choice of "skins" to wear while playing can disclose both their personal style and gaming background.
Like clothes, most skins are bought, while other ones have a limited amount of shelf life. Additionally, similar to real-world apparel, avatars, and skins can express cultural and trend knowledge-something that young buyers are keen to show off. When you strip these cultures down to their most fundamental elements, wearing a designer label has the same cachet as playing a game with valuable skin.
In addition to virtual skins, garment collaborations have a healthy industry. When combined with popular games, capsule sets become quite popular. Epic Games and Uniqlo, a big Japanese fast-fashion retailer, partnered. Together, the two developed a brand-new clothing line that was motivated by the December 2020 release of Fortnite. Characters from the game appeared on the front (and frequently the back) of sweatshirts, T-shirts, and other items, and the launch was an enormous success.
Riot Games and Louis Vuitton collaborated to create a League of Legends Capsule Collection. The theme of the game is portrayed in the collection on T-shirts, sneakers, jeans, bags, and some products with price tags ranging from US $170 to US $5,600 for a leather jacket.
For numerous capsule collections, Diesel, H&M, and most recently Moschino have all collaborated with the Sims series. League of Legends and Aape by A Bathing Ape debuted a streetwear line.
The design of the game Animal Crossing, which lets users outfit their avatars in Prada, Off-White, Ratberry (by Burberry), and Gucci Arcade, is another example of the gaming-fashion partnership. These initiatives have revolutionized the so-called "Lux x Gaming" industry, combining luxury and gaming, and they have drawn in an unexpected group of new players.
How Gaming and Fashion Come Together and Work TogetherBrickbreaker came first, followed by Candy Crush and Pokémon Go. These days, it seems like everywhere you go-on a train, in your neighborhood coffee shop, or even in the parliament-you can always count on seeing someone playing the newest popular game on their phone.
Globally, between 3 billion and 3.3 billion people-from casual smartphone users to die-hard PC and console owners-play video games actively. Although there are gamers of all ages, a great deal of younger viewers choose gaming as their main form of entertainment and socialization over more traditional media.
More quickly than you can say Pac-Man, gaming has moved from arcades to basements to portable devices due to the widespread use of mobile phones. In reality, the gaming sector is currently valued at 385 billion USD, based on a report from Exploding Topics.
The most fascinating detail, though? These days, women make up over 50% of mobile game players. Yes, you read correctly: teenage boys are no longer the main players of video games. Additionally, female players typically have greater value than those who are men. App Developer Magazine found that female gamers are 79% more inclined than male gamers to make an in-app purchase, which is great news for game developers everywhere. They are more inclined to purchase virtual currency, more lives, or even stylish virtual clothing for their avatars. Naturally, not only game creators are noticing this change, which comes as no surprise. Aspiring to connect with prospective digital consumers and turn them into devoted, recurring customers, luxury fashion firms are doing the same.
During the coronavirus pandemic, fashion businesses had to quickly think beyond the box to attract their target demographic. They needed to transition into the digital era and abandon the conventional "shop window" out-of-home concept. Reputable fashion brand Balenciaga teamed up with the popular battle royale game Fortnite to display its clothing lines via in-game skins that could be obtained.
Furthermore, an increasing number of fashion fans are turning into significant gamers, according to reports. Anzu's survey of American gamers found that 66% of them indulge in premium products, and 76% of them follow fashion brands and influencers. Several of the US gamers who answered the study were wealthy consumers; of them, 47% stated they had bought Gucci, 43% had bought Dior, and 29% had bought Chanel.
Furthermore, fashion companies are using gaming in a more strategic manner than they did previously. Examples include Prada presenting their apparel in Ubisoft's exhilarating racing game, Riders Republic, and Louis Vuitton visiting the main stage of League of Legends, which draws over 117 million monthly active players and is the fourth most popular PC game at the moment and second most popular eSports game for betting on an increasing number of online sportsbooks gathered at the Bookmaker Expert reviewing website, using exclusive material to market its products with League of Legends. Another element fueling the expansion of fashion brand gaming promotion is the emergence of the metaverse, which allowed fashion businesses, from high-street to high-end, access to an international demographic of socially concerned gamers.
Gucci famously introduced its Gucci Garden Experience on Roblox, a gaming metaverse community featuring over 42.3 million daily active users globally. In the meantime, American Eagle made use of the platform to launch its own AE Clubhouse and promote their 2022 Spring Collection in Livetopia, which at the time of the campaign had over 1.5 billion visitors and was ranked among Roblox's top 10 experiences.
In addition to games, gamers themselves are an underutilized resource that is becoming more visible. Because they make millions of dollars from using their enormous online followings to secure sponsorships, fees, and endorsements, professional gamers are the new superstars and influencers.
Among the first professional gamers to have their own footwear line is Richard Tyler Blevins (better known as Ninja). His joint sneakers with the renowned brand Adidas have been released. Currently, he boasts close to 24 million YouTube subscribers and 19 million Twitch fans. By the end of 2023, he'll have a net worth of $17 million. In order to create the jerseys that Esports team Gen.G wore throughout their League of Legends World Championship, designer Heron Preston partnered with Puma.
Games: An Alternate Approach to AdvertisingThe gaming business has come up with inventive ways to market its collections, such as dressing up game characters in clothing from well-known fashion brands or putting adverts within mobile games. Traditional marketing is gradually being replaced by subtle promotion that is integrated into the game and storyline.
The growth and prevalence of in-game advertising has allowed fashion brands to no longer be restricted to costly "one-off" collaborations, but instead have the freedom to select which games, audiences, and genres to target with inbuilt in-game ads.
With the aid of Anzu's in-game advertising solution, Levi's was able to promote its 501 jeans brand line across a wide selection of exciting PC and mobile games, notably massively successful games like Gravity Rider Zero, Tennis Clash, and Trackmania. This is a perfect example of an effective in-game advertisement. As a result, among buyers of high-end jeans, Levi's saw a spike in brand consideration of 6% and brand ad recall of 16%. Additionally, almost two-thirds of gamers who were exposed to the advertisement in-game made a positive action, like visiting the Levi's website or making an online purchase.
FIFA 22 gamers received an exclusive discount on specific Adidas items thanks to a partnership between Adidas and EA Sports. Both businesses gained from these alliances and economic dealings. Likewise, characters were dressed in the recognizable Balenciaga apparel thanks to a collaboration with Fortnite. Some businesses are even making unique, exclusive goods specifically for such games. Some apparel under the Fortnite name was available on popular e-commerce platforms like Amazon and fast-fashion retailers like Primark.
Video games and fashion have a growingly significant and impactful link. The fashion sector is getting creative and inventive when it comes to interacting with gamers and promoting goods in the gaming world through partnerships, influencer marketing, and online sales. In the upcoming years, it's anticipated that the relationship between video games and fashion will further intensify, opening up exciting new possibilities for both sectors.
