Gaming is the Next Big Thing For the Fashion Industry

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/ugjPgy2BQug

Remember The Sims? The game that lacks any defined goals (no, really), where players create their virtual people (Sims), place them in houses and direct their moods based on their desires. Still, even without a defined goal, it’s one of the best-selling video games of all time. And still, even without a defined goal, people spent hours, and even days, creating their perfect Sim (from the hair, to the body shape, to their clothes and accessories) and building their perfect house.

The Sims is just one example of the highly entertaining, highly profitable gaming industry. A sector that could become a $300 billion industry by 2025 (in 2018, the video games market generated $131 billion). To put this in perspective, it’s more revenue than the music and movie industries combined. 

Which is why fashion and retail brands should pay attention. Think of games as media channels. Outlets that attract hundreds of thousands of eyeballs for a lot longer than 30-second-spots ever could. It’s undivided attention in its finest.

Savvy companies are capitalising on the opportunity. This year, Moschino collaborated with The Sims for an in-game branded Freezer Bunny hoodie, which players could dress their Sim in. "I love the idea of being able to imagine, design and bring to life a world of individual personas with The Sims universe," Jeremy Scott, Moschino’s creative director, told Harper’s Bazaar. "That concept emulates what I get to do for each collection at Moschino as I create a fantasy universe of spectacular storylines and characters."

Source: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/moschino-collection

Speaking of… the partnership also has a real-world impact: a physical Moschino collection inspired by The Sims, with items such as pixel capsule bags, jackets, swimsuits and umbrellas, encouraging shoppers to become their own Sims avatar.

Source: https://www.nylon.com.sg/2019/04/moschino-sims-pixel-capsule-collection/

As gaming becomes more mainstream than ever, what are the opportunities for fashion and retail brands to create products for avatars and within games? How can designers help players curate their virtual characters in a way that reflects their real-world personalities, and vice-versa? And how can creating digital-only products change the way we think about fashion production and sustainability? 

Join us on 11th of September for a fascinating panel discussion about why fashion should play in the gaming sector. Our brilliant speakers include Morten Grubak (Executive Creative Director, Northern Europe, VICE / VIRTUE), Sabinna Rachimova (Founder & Creative Director, SABINNA), Jonathan Chippindale (CEO, Holition) and Roberta Lucca (Co-founder, Bossa Studios and Beta Lucca). 

Get your tickets here and let us know if you’re coming along! 

Guest blog written by Kristina Dimitrova, Founder, INTERLACED