The Milestones of Video Games in High Fashion
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Image from Square Enix: https://eu.square-enix.com/en/blog/final-fantasy-characters-showcase-prada-2012-mens-springsummer-collection
Think your fascination with video game culture makes you unique? Great! But that idea is also mainstream and is now lauded by all ranks of life. Nerdom is officially saturated in our culture, even in high fashion. This convergence is a fantastic nod from two worlds that both require you to suspend your disbelief and invoke inspiration. This thankfully shows how someone who just wants to play games and make clothes can separately be inspired by the same designs.
Here are four well known and under-the-radar times celebrities merged with video games on the red carpet or the runway.
2016: Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry wore Tamagotchis to the Met Gala.
The fusion of old school memories through childhood toys surfaced slightly at the 2016 Met Gala. This extravagant event is well known for breaking fashion trends and stretching the limits of practical wardrobe, with 2016 focusing entirely on the fusion of tech and fashion.
Image: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images and Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic/Getty Images, via Mashable
2016's Met Gala was themed "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology," and while various celebrities and designers wove technology into their red carpet wardrobe, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
While this might seem like a silly nod, the commentary Polygon's Julia Alexander adds to this retro choice is particularly demonstrative of our generation's style.
“It’s funny, because even though I probably wouldn’t wear a Tamagotchi on my sweater (although I won’t say never), I had the same reaction to it that I’ve had when out doing errands or with friends and coming across someone in an N7 sweater from Mass Effect. It made me realize that video games went from being a niche part of street apparel to mainstream fashion that most people get. Subculture becoming culture, if you will.”
The 2016 theme had Twitter ablaze with video game references. Jack Wagner's Twitter thread about the Gala makes a couple of Final Fantasy jokes, which fits in nicely given another major designer's 2016 clothing line...
2015: Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning Announced as Model for Luis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2016 Collection
Likely the most well-known feature on the list, Final Fantasy fans wouldn't be surprised to hear the outrageously attractive character designs eventually ended on a high-end fashion website. I'm willing to let go of the fact that Final Fantasy XIII (FFXIII) is my least favorite video game of all time to appreciate how far Square Enix has interlaced with mainstream culture.
This isn't the first time Lighting struck the fashion industry: her and male counterparts in FFXIII appeared in a Prada Spring/Summer men's collection in 2012.
Louis Vuitton's Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière announced the Series 4 collection, Called "Heroine" in late 2015 to represent the Spring/Summer 2016 line.
If you pay further attention to Nicholas' Instagram, you'll see he draws influence from (or at least has an affinity for) Japanese anime culture, which brings us to our next item...
2014: Fendi's Puff Monsters' Incredible Resemblance to Kill la Kill Armor
Fendi's Monster Creature backpacks and accessories have an uncanny resemblance to "armor" in the anime Kill la Kill. I know this a stretch, since Kill la Kill isn't a video game and I have admittedly have yet to confirm this theory. While I've only viewed a short Reddit post joking about a Pokemon reference to the bag, and a mere highlight of the anime. But to me, the similarities always remind me of the series when passers-by don the Fendi accessory.
From left to right: Ryuuko, Kill la Kill's protagonist - Cosplay previously for sale on AliExpress - Fendi Monster Bag for sale on their website.
Kill la Kill takes place in a dystopian world where clothing literally intertwines with a life force that can grant the wearer supernatural abilities and strengths.
Kill la Kills' 2013-2015 manga run and 2014-2015 original anime run parallels the 2014 introduction of the Fendi monster accessories a little too closely for a cause and effect relationship. Regardless, I can't help but remind myself of the super-skimpy warrior outfits whenever I see a fashion-forward New Yorker walking by with one of the Fendi-esque accessories.
2014: Gerlan Jeans Creates Pokemon Lookalikes for their 2014 Fall/Winter Line
I wrote about this in 2014, but the brand didn't hit the press like many of the above events. Gerlan Jeans created a Pokemonlike print for their 2014 sleepwear line, "Sweet Dreamz."
Gerlan Jeans has been donned by many a celebrity on the runway, usually creating bold designs, such as their cigarette dress or their Cheeto designs. But this collection especially caught my eye, as certain creatures appear dolled-up versions of both old and new Pokemon. If I could find a sweater or dress for the line, I would certainly make my PokemonGo hunting a lot more trendy. As if both of these trends haven't already passed...
While you might scoff at the price tags and design choices behind these pieces, you hopefully can appreciate how the world can collectively agree that hiding in your room playing a video game or watching an anime is now a universal hobby. Maybe if you even catch yourself playing a terrible video game, you can at least be inspired by the design.