There are two types of people in this world: those who like gaming and those who like fashion. Or, at least there used to be. That’s how model, gamer and self-professed nerd Jasmine Asia remembers it. She started playing video games as a five-year-old and can remember a time when she felt like she could only be interested in one or the other, but never both. It wasn’t long though before Asia realized she could combine the two — and the industry wasn’t far behind either.
In the last few years, we’ve seen gaming and fashion collide in major ways. Popular online game Fortnite — which sees about 83 million monthly users — has partnered up with brands like Balenciaga, Moncler, and, most recently, Ralph Lauren, to create digital collections that characters can wear in game. (Both the Balenciaga and Ralph Lauren collabs included limited-edition physical merch as well.) Balenciaga wasn’t new to the space, either: Creative Director Demna Gvasalia revealed the brand’s fall 2021 collection via a futuristic, specially designed game called “Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow.” Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton has teamed up with League of Legends, Valentino with Animal Crossing, and Gucci with games like The Sims, Pokémon Go (with its North Face collaboration), and more. Our digital avatars have never dressed better.