If you’re a gamer who cares about fashion (and for many reasons, you should) it can be quite hard to find clothing that reflects your hobby without looking awkward. Bog-standard graphic shirts with tired cringe-worthy slogans stick out like a sore thumb in public and work to undermine any ensemble. To curate a tasteful look, You want items that make a homage to your favourite games and complement the rest of your layers. Here are the best clothing brands that tease your interests whilst still offering quality garments.
Pretty much the premier clothing brand that centres around games, Insert Coin has been around for many years now and have come on leaps and bounds recently with massive brand partnerships and plenty of fashion-forward items. From AAA titans like Destiny and Dark Souls, all the way down to more cult hits like Jet Set Radio and Ni No Kuni, browsing IC’s selection will no doubt lead to some fashion envy.
The design team don’t just settle for replicating symbolic imagery, they think about subtlety in their blueprints and reflect the spirit of the game they’re embodying without it being obtuse or unfashionable. It’s a very thin line to draw, but this company are known for doing so. More recently they’ve been expanding into snazzy sukajan’s and reimagining some of their most popular products to fit with modern fashion trends, so make sure you check them out as there’s bound to be a selection that fits with your gaming taste!
Japanese casual wear juggernaut Uniqlo may not be your first thought when you think about fashion for gamers, but you’ll be surprised to learn that a lot of their UT: graphic print collections are with major pop culture brands and often major game companies that rarely offer capsule collections.
As of right now, they are currently offering Street Fighter, Pokemon, Super Mario and a more general ‘Pixels’ range that you can peruse. Given the pace with which they’re revealed and pushed out, not every design is as tasteful or subtle as the rest, but there are often quite a few gems hidden in each UT drop that you can work into a solid outfit without it looking too obnoxious.
Honourable mentions
Sites like Fangamer and The Yetee can be reliable for fashion related to games, but they mostly focus on tee shirts and not much more, and their designs tend to follow a similar style throughout, crest imagery or logos and don’t often adapt to modern fashion trends. It’s also worth going straight to the source and checking out the official store of your favourite game studio, as on rare occasions their own in-house designs can be surprisingly good. Take for example, Kojima Productions, which has a fine range of garments for the Death Stranding fanatic, from drippy socks to ‘BRIDGES’ long sleeves!
Take baby steps, and simply keep your eye on these brands for subtle pieces you can adapt into your wardrobe and you’ll be dressing better in no time. Obviously, don’t dominate your outfits with gamer tat… just throw in a tasteful tee or hoodie, or even an accessory every now and then and you can flaunt your eclectic taste whilst looking good!
