We are not entirely new to the concept of luxury fashion designers and houses experimenting with the gaming world. For some, it is merely a case of ‘designing’ a digital line of clothing for in-game characters; for others, it is moving game development in-house and releasing their own title in celebration of the brand.
Whether or not you think of it as a transparent attempt at winning over today’s digitally-centred consumers, garnering publicity for something that will catch the eyes of those who are feeling a little jaded with designer fashion, or, even, a ‘dumbing down’ of brands that were once above viral collaborations, the fact of the matter is that fashion and gaming seem to be growing closer and closer by the day, and plenty more crossovers are no doubt on the cards.
Still, these associations formed between game developers and fashion designers have, for the most part, seemed to be little more than passing dalliances; creative exercises that have their moment, and from which everyone moves on. In spite of the growing list of collaborative efforts between these two camps, it remained relatively rare to find instances of long-lasting significant.
That is, until now, as it looks as though the massively popular game streaming platform, Twitch – which, historically, has been dedicated to hosting gamers as they play – is adding an entirely new branch to its daily operations, and making way for some of the world’s most recognisable luxury fashion brands.
What began with a live stream of the Burberry 2021 Spring/Summer show now seems ready to spiral into an ongoing relationship between Twitch and luxury fashion. Read more below.
The Versatility of Gaming
There are few things more versatile – and open to unbridled creativity – than gamers. As an audience, they enable creatives to realise the full potential of ‘going digital’. Gamers who choose to play at ZebraCasino.co.za do so because, through time and perseverance and ingenuity, these digitalisations – which once merely aspired to emulate the real thing – have grown capable of superseding the physical premises.
This offers a strong parallel for the lure gaming holds for luxury fashion, which may once have written off digital spaces as incapable of conveying the same sense of exclusivity, luxury, and intrigue that seemed to define in-person fashion shows.
Recent years, in particular, are a testament to the incredible versatility of gaming – the fact that these titles, so wide and varied in their foci, can appeal to such a diverse pool of gamers. Now represents the ideal time for creatives from two seemingly disparate realms to join together, and create something entirely new.
What We Know So Far
Due to the unique microcosm created within the world of Twitch, there exist many different avenues for designers to explore. Already, names as diverse as Burberry, Champion, and Anti Social Social Club have explored just a few of these avenues, from creating exclusive collections with some of Twitch’s most popular and well-known personalities, to hosting entire fashion shows and enabling a more accessible entry-point for those who may otherwise have been left out of these exclusive events.
Thus far, Twitch seems to be as excited about its opportunities in fashion as the designers themselves. For the platform, these collaborations ensure that they can offer quality content to significant portions of their userbase – thus growing their influence, and ensuring that they retain that position at the head of their industry. For the designers, it represents an opportunity to step away from those ‘old ways’ which, for the most part, excluded the very people they are now able to reach through the digital realm and to bring the latest fashion trends to the very people who will wear them.
