Gaming & Fashion: the future of collaborations
You can now access high fashion brands in games and it’s definitely the next best move for the industry. But what about the players?
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With the pandemic changing the way we live, the fashion industry has been adapting under the ever-changing restrictions, lockdowns and quarantines. Already before all of this, we have reached a point where the online world is no longer separate from the offline and it has led to the gamification of many parts of our lives. The way in which we purchase fashion has transformed together with these technological developments. It is becoming increasingly obvious that gaming is the next step for the sector of luxury fashion. Initially, it seemed like the most unlikely of collaborations. Nonetheless, both industries are connected by their shared explorations of fantasy, escapism and use of characterisation and avatarisation.
There are many industries that can benefit from such collaborations, but what about the player? One theorist who has looked at the fundamental values of play is Johan Huizinga. He focuses on competition and argues that play should be free and distinct from the mundane - from real life. Another theorist, Roger Callois disputes Huizinga’s focus on competition, but he similarly argues that play should be unproductive. According to Callois, while society exhibits qualities of play, they also corrupt it. Are these collaborations just furthering the perversion of play in video games to grow financially? These collaborations are lucrative, sure, but perhaps we should be focusing on how they deteriorate the fundamental values we associate with video games and play.
Now, let me put it into perspective, just how lucrative the gaming industry is. Currently, the global film industry is worth $44 billion, in comparison the global gaming industry is worth $317 billion. The estimated revenue of console games comes to $37 billion, whereas the mobile gaming market generated an estimate of over $77 billion in 2020. The gaming industry, depending on whose argument you concur with, has existed for almost 50 years now. A former generation of gamers has now grown up: the industry no longer simply targets their products at children, now there is something for everyone with an abundance of genres, formats and places to play.
Purchasing in-app and in-game joins forces with tangible products as games begin advertising fashion brands. If you cannot afford luxury fashion in reality then you can now acquire exquisite products virtually for a smaller price and with a self-determined income; in-game. The clothing you want most is now just a download away. While there is little data available on the figures regarding how much this brings to the table, the frequency of these collaborations and the popularity surrounding them suggest that the consumers in these markets are ready to spend their money on virtual luxury.
Let me introduce you to Lightning, one of the avatars from “Final Fantasy”, a commercially and critically successful video game. “Final Fantasy” is one of the best-selling video game franchises that has sold millions of copies and has raked in billions of dollars. Back in 2016, Louis Vuitton (LV) began using Lightning as a model for the brand. They also partnered with “League of Legends”: an online multiplayer battle arena video game. A capsule collection was released by LV as part of their collaboration. Yes, it is an excellent marketing strategy, but bringing gaming into high-end fashion benefits video games too. Avatars endorsing brands works in a similar vein to how celebrities and sports teams push products onto their followings. These collaborations give video games and esports like “League of Legends” recognition and attach cultural value to them.
Brands can expand and develop consumer loyalty beyond traditional advertising and social media by using video games to commodify play while they simultaneously manipulate the emotional connection players have with the games. In 2018, Hermès developed the game H-Pitchhh for their annual jumping competition, Saut Hermès, at the Grand Palais. The mobile video game requires players to launch horseshoes close to the stake.
Gaming is simply another avenue for fashion houses and beauty brands to expand their reach. Just take the plateauing attention Instagram advertising was getting from its customers, when TikTok started becoming increasingly popular in 2019 and 2020. Brands had to shift their focus to a new platform and a new way of broadcasting. Plenty of other unforeseen fellowships were formed in the wake of in-game advertisement: last year, Travis Scott held virtual concerts on “Fortnite”. The shows garnered millions of viewers who enjoyed the performance via their avatars and attendees could also get their hands on exclusive “skins” and merchandise for their avatars.
These partnerships are highly profitable for all parties involved. When Moschino partnered with “The Sims” it enabled tens of millions of players to choose outfits from the brand for their avatars. Their clothes usually cost hundreds of pounds, yet “The Sims” democratises luxury fashion. Arguably, while making these brands accessible is a positive step towards the democratization of fashion, it is perpetuating our ideals of status from the real world. Are brands simply manipulating the inevitable consumer patterns that exist in the digital world that is so much like the real world?
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” (2020) was a lifeline this year, giving its users a chance at escapism, a brief moment of normalcy in a digital microcosm. As a “social simulation” video game, players simply control and customise their avatars and fulfil tasks for Tom Nook. There were collaborations from prominent designers, such as Valentino and Marc Jacobs, while brands like Gillette appeared too, focusing on in-game beauty. Beyond the idea of a digital escape in the midst of a pandemic, “Animal Crossing” reveals how consumer behaviours in the physical world also exist in the digital.
These collaborations work from within the game, too. An in-game feature lets players customise the clothing on their avatars. The Nook Street Market is one of the many rising Instagram pages that have commodified in-game customisation for those who want recreated looks from designers, including Prada, Off-White and Chanel. Their recent collaborations involve fashion brands, like FILA, and beauty brands, like Glossier. The Nook Street offers part of the concept of a functioning society during a pandemic, including in-game social status.
Furthermore, it indicates that in-game consumer purchases are really a corrective remedy to the loss of and lack of control in the real world. From the game, communities are developed around digital fashion, as the characters of each player can foster friendships and communication. “Animal Crossing” is another game that shows how consumerism, ownership and acquisition create meaningful influences in the virtual world and, to some extent, your life outside of it.
The collaborations between fashion houses and video games have done more than just help each of the industries make a tidy profit. They have democratised high-end fashion to a certain extent: with social media you can see luxury fashion from influencers, but video games offer ownership, even if it is restricted to the digital realm. The dichotomy between the real and the virtual is now seemingly close. The distribution of luxury fashion in video games has helped create communities and bring identity to players’ avatars through customisation and status. This is the future of collaborations in fashion and entertainment. But, what happens to our ideas of play? According to the values suggested by Huizinga and Callois, fashion corrupts our ideal play. Is it time to start viewing video games as mere areas for advertisement and collection? Are they the capitalist utopia that only comes to fruition in our virtual realities? Yes, gaming and fashion embody the future of collaborations and both can benefit economically, however it has the potential to entirely destroy what makes video games and play so wonderful to begin with.