Web: Animal Crossing, new playground for fashion lovers
MODEA real phenomenon in the land of video games, Animal Crossing no longer only attracts hardcore gamers. The happy little virtual village now welcomes well-dressed inhabitants, who spend hours creating their looks, often inspired by the fashion shows. Enough to attract the attention of the fashion industry…By Margaux Krehl
Launched in the early 2000s by the Japanese video game publisher Nintendo, Animal Crossing is today a saga with critical and commercial success, the last installment of which, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, was released on the Nintendo Switch console on March 20. 2020. The principle is simple: the player becomes a child, who moves into a charming village. The latter has a house, which he can enlarge and decorate to his liking thanks to a fictitious currency (acquired by selling elements or by performing certain tasks); and can interact with the inhabitants as well as the surrounding environment. Designed to simulate a real-time unfolding, Animal Crossing has no specific objective, except that of developing friendships, and evolving within a village where you can as well dig up fossils that manage the development of the island. Time and the seasons pass, while everyone evolves their character and their relationships at their own pace.
Since its launch, Animal Crossing has caused such enthusiasm that memes and other diversions are now legion on the web, making video games a fascinating pop culture object. New Horizons, the last "chapter" in the series, was no exception to the rule: according to a study by the consultancy agency SuperData, the game has sold 5 million copies since its release. It must be said that at the time of the coronavirus and social distancing, Animal Crossing appears to be the ideal companion for thousands of confined people around the world, delighted to find there an escape where reigns a good-natured atmosphere, able to appease the most worried. But the video game is now acclaimed by a completely different public: that of fashion, more and more fascinated by virtual universes.
Jacquemus avatars and total looks
Attracted by the possibility of customizing the outfits worn by these virtual avatars at will (and ad infinitum), many fashion enthusiasts now meet on Animal Crossing to wear the latest sweater in sight or the new pair of trendy shoes. These are signed by the greatest designers, from Louis Vuitton to Alexander McQueen, like more pointed labels. There are several ways to slip your character into luxury clothes: create these last pixels by pixels from classic clothing patterns (dress, pants, etc.), order existing models from the village seamstresses – two hedgehogs named Lisette and Cousette –, or even use an application that allows you to download, from a computer to a console, the patterns of your choice (at random, a famous monogram). Players can then share their creations via a QR Code, as found on the Reddit forum entirely dedicated to this subject, the aptly named Animal Crossing Luxury & Designer Fashion. On Instagram, there are countless accounts dedicated to fashion on Animal Crossing, whether they list everyone's creations or provide everyone with the codes to afford a total Jacquemus look. Crossing The Runway, which has been recreating some of fashion's flagship silhouettes since 2014, and Animal Crossing Fashion Archive, which "documents style in the era of social distancing".
Instagram happy
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
However, you don't need to know your fashion history like the back of your hand to get started in creation. Many players simply take advantage of the endless possibilities that Animal Crossing offers to put on looks that they would not have the opportunity to wear on a daily basis. Whether it's treating yourself to luxury clothes without spending a dime (apart from virtual currency, there's no money to spend), or simply wearing pieces that you would not assume in everyday life, the game offers enough to create a whole new style. Some even use it as a mirror of their own life where, confinement requires, no one can admire their looks anymore. Animal Crossing then becomes the only way for them to see, and to be seen.
Fad or bonanza?
This new phenomenon has not failed to attract the attention of the fashion industry, which has been turning to video games for a few seasons now (we remember the very successful collaboration between the house of Louis Vuitton and the famous League of Legends online game). And even if for the moment the business has no right of entry into Animal Crossing (there is no advertising or product placements in Nintendo's creation), fashion is keeping an eye on the grain, well aware that could to find there his new hen with the golden eggs. Failing to charge users of the game for their creations, brands are beginning to consider the best way for them to appear there. Gémo could well have the beginning of an answer: in a press release reported by Fashion Network on April 22, the ready-to-wear and accessories label announced to present its new collection in Animal Crossing. For the occasion, Gémo has teamed up with the Rosbeef! agency, which has recreated the brand's spring-summer 2020 men's, women's and children's collections in pixels. Virtual clothes that players can try on – and adopt – for free, which will be available in stores once the containment is lifted.
The American designer Sandy Liang, famous for her modern fleeces, has chosen to open an ephemeral store in the heart of video games. History, she says, “to find a way to dress up and have fun” all together. Villagers are thus invited to visit this pop-up and download the creations imagined by Sandy Liang for free. The latter also invites players who can to donate $ 5 to the non-profit organization GiveDirectly, which works to fight against the coronavirus.
Instagram happy
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
There is no doubt that the fashion industry will not stop there: there is then a risk of asking the (very lucrative) question of copyright, especially when it comes to affixing a famous logo almost everywhere, but also income that could be generated by the arrival of houses – and their collections – within video games. So many questions that are currently far from touching Animal Crossing enthusiasts, comfortably installed in their virtual life, where everything is luxury, calm and voluptuousness.
