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The somewhat different fashion show with Animal Crossing

27.5.2020

Translation: machine translated

Necessity is also the mother of invention in the fashion industry. Instead of London, New York, Paris or Milan, the catwalk moves to the simulation game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons".

"Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is one of the most successful Switch games. Over 13 million copies have been sold since March 2020. But its success goes beyond the gaming scene. As is so often the case in life, others want to jump on the bandwagon. In this case, the fashion industry, which has not missed out on the hype surrounding the Nintendo game.

In the real-time simulation, you create your own worlds with your avatar and interact with other players. An important part of this is the appearance of your avatar, or more precisely its outfit, which is not just limited to run-of-the-mill Nintendo designs. Thanks to customised designs, high fashion and streetwear looks are also possible. Fashion designers are taking advantage of this function: Marc Jacobs and Valentino have designed clothes for the virtual world, as no shows are taking place in the near future due to the coronavirus.

This is not the first time that fashion labels have designed clothes for video games. Last year, Nike teamed up with the makers of the battle royale game "Fortnite" and designer Jeremy Scott created an entire collection for the simulation game "The Sims 4".

Courtesy of @animalcrossingfashionarchive

What makes "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" so appealing for fashionistas is obvious: unlike many other games, you can customise your avatar's outfit down to the smallest detail - from the hat to the socks. This allows you to live out expensive designer fashion dreams, at least in the virtual game world. Without you having to fork out a fortune for it.

Not surprisingly, fashion enthusiasts have taken a liking to the game and created dozens of Instagram accounts such as @nookstreetmarket, @crossingtherunway and @animalcrossingfashionarchives. These not only celebrate the looks inspired by designer fashion, but also make them available to users or their avatars by means of a serial number. With success: the brands quickly began to repost screenshots of their outfits. Valentino was one of the first fashion houses to realise a virtual collection. By making its pieces accessible to a wide audience, the otherwise exclusive brand is showing a new side to itself.

The Berlin PR agency "Reference Festival" has even gone one step further: Together with photographer Kara Chung (from @animalcrossingfashionarchives) and stylist Marc Goehring, it has put on a virtual fashion show. Animal-crossing avatars take centre stage, presenting the latest looks from Prada, Chanel and Balenciaga on the catwalk. With this project, the creators also want to reach people who only have a vague idea of what a runway show is like.

You can watch the Animal Crossing Fashion Show here:

The interest in digital fashion comes at a time when it's not just the fashion industry that needs to act. Fashion weeks and photo shoots are only taking place online due to the pandemic: Shoots are being realised via Zoom and FaceTime and Fashion Week is being set up digitally.

The Animal Crossing Fashion Show is not intended to be a substitute for a physical fashion show. On the contrary: it is a creative gimmick that is groundbreaking. Will we have to say goodbye to Fashion Week as we know it? Certainly! But what form it will take is written in the stars. The fact is that the industry will have to rethink its seasonal show calendar. In the meantime, "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" offers fashion designers a platform that allows them to present their new creations at any time - regardless of a fixed show schedule.

Opening image: © Courtesy Valentino and Kara Chung

Header image: © Courtesy Valentino and Kara Chung

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Vanessa Kim

Editor

vanessa.kim@digitecgalaxus.ch

When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.

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