You can thank The Sims for the rise of luxury fashion in gaming
Since video game characters can first change their clothes, what our virtual friends wear has been of interest.
Since video game characters can first change their clothes, what our virtual friends wear has been of interest.
Luxury labels have been interested in entering the space. In the past three years, a number of high-end brands have collaborated with other brands, hosted runway shows in the game Animal Crossing, or created a shop.
While the appetite for digital garments has taken off outside of games in recent years, the groundwork was laid by the gaming community.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the gaming community helped to establish a thriving environment for independent designers creating custom fashion in video games like The Sims as well as a lucrative system for selling digital goods from EverQuest and World of Warcraft on eBay.
The direct-to-avatar economy isn't new according to a senior strategist at a trend-forecasting company. It used to be a niche experience for people who are already gaming, but now people are more aware that this is an opportunity.
A virtual Gucci bag was sold in Roblox for $4,115 last year, more than the bag's actual value. A digital version of the dress worn by Karlie Kloss at New York Fashion Week made $5,000.
She said that gaming has become more mainstream. The sales of skins made up 80% of the $120 billion spent on digital video games in the year of 2020, according to a report.
Custom creativity
The creative pool for virtual fashion exploded when The Sims first came out in 2000. The Sims could be modified or "modded" with aesthetic changes, like hairstyle or clothes, imported from programs outside of the game.
A Texas-based designer who goes by the online name Lovespun has been creating custom designs for games and says the idea of not wanting to always look like a player is what digital fashion is all about.
The Sims has been partnering with fashion brands for over two decades. With unofficial designs made by players, any look became possible, even though The Sims has partnerships with H&M and Diesel. The players make everything from clothes to hair. There is a mod for every Jules look from "Euphoria" and every "Mean Girls" matchy-matched pink outfit.
Where custom designs are meant to enhance The Sims' game play, they became the basis for platforms such as Second Life, where residents build the virtual world and users play and create games on the platform. American Apparel, Armani and Adidas opened their digital storefronts in Second Life at a time when the platform was worth an estimated $65 million. Jonathan Simkhai presented his collection in Second Life instead of at New York Fashion Week.
Coveted virtual goods
The rise of virtual goods has been documented by Edward Castronova, a professor of media at Indiana University Bloomington and expert on the virtual economies of video games. He has never been surprised by the length of people's journeys to collect digital outfits.
The author of the 2006 book "Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games" said that one user became obsessed with collecting shirts when they had unlimited storage for their gear.
Over 10,000 of them were acquired and stored by him. Video game outfits have become a multi-billion dollar business. Louis Vuitton collaborated with League of Legend.
The off-game economy of rare armor and skins was worth tens of millions of dollars on sites like eBay in the mid-2000s, but it took until the 2010s for game companies to begin making money from them. Skins have become a billion-dollar source of revenue in gaming.
That interest has been good for many games, including the popular one called "Fortnite".
A series of skins were created by Louis Vuitton and League of Legend. Louis Vuitton collaborated with League of Legend.
Emily Levy is the partnerships director at the publisher of the title. It has skyrocketed in popularity due to its 100-person competitive combat play, but it also hosts social events such as concerts and fashion tournaments. Levy said that some outfits have developed a cult-like following.
A relationship that lasts a long period of time.
Sallyann said that technology is finally in a place where luxury brands can mimic their physical clothes. Unreal Engine 5 is a real-time 3D modeling tool that powers many video games and metaverse platforms, as well as creating runway experiences for designers like Gary James McQueen.
She said that the advances in graphics have come a long way. Whether it's a piece of clothing, a building, or a landscape, we can create a digital double to communicate the mood of a collection.
For a partnership with Moncler, characters' outfits changed from light to dark depending on their altitude, a nod to the Italian company's Alpine roots.
Moncler's altitude-adjusting garments are one of the creative outfits that can respond to gaming environments. The credit is given to the games.
Many of the recent partnerships have been one-offs, and it will be some time until it is clear whether major fashion houses commit to the gaming market long-term. The Gucci Arcade is inspired by vintage gaming and is one of the brands projects in the space. Robert Triefus is the leader of its corporate and brand strategy.
Generations, genders, and ethnicities are all crossed by gaming. He wrote in an email that it was a true global community. There was a chance for Gucci to have a voice in that community. A number of different kinds of experiments have been conducted by the team.
Whether we're in a true digital fashion renaissance as we're ushered into an era of the so-called metaverse or what Castro nova calls a "hype wave", branded goods in video games will always be a draw.
He said that people care about what they look like. He said that wearing a Versace hat in a game was a great marketing idea. It is getting harder and harder to get the attention of 18 to 34 year olds. I believe that will intensify.
A long-term relationship
Sallyann Houghton, fashion director at Epic Games, believes that the two industries will continue to converge, noting in particular that technology is finally in a place where luxury brands can mimic their physical clothes. Epic is also the developer of Unreal Engine 5, a real-time 3D modeling tool that powers many video games and metaverse platforms, and has also created runway experiences for designers like Gary James McQueen (Alexander McQueen's nephew)."The advances in graphics have come so far," she said.
"We can now create a digital double, whether it's a piece of clothing, or a building or a landscape, that helps communicate the mood of a collection."For a partnership with Moncler, for example, characters' outfits changed from light to dark depending on their altitude, a nod to the Italian company's alpine roots — a creative twist that physical designers would be hard-pressed to achieve.