Game companies are allergic to making fashionable merch — so fans stepped in

polygon.com:

When I say “iconic video game fashion,” your mind may go to Tifa Lockhart’s breezy crop tank top and suspenders look, or the high-fashion mask and jacket style sported by Nier Automata’s 9S. Maybe you think about the trendy tees and school jackets worn by characters in the Personafranchise, the signature billiard-ball T-shirts of Animal Crossing, or the overbranded hypebeast looks of Splatoon. Maybe you even think about how you’ve kitted out your own Final Fantasy 14 or World of Warcraft character.

Video game designers and artists meticulously build in-game cosmetics to be on-trend, fashionable, and in some cases functional pieces of attire. For gamers interested in drip that’s not as drab as the Phil Spencer blazer, T-shirt, and jeans look, it’s fascinating to track how real-world influences affect in-game cosmetics.

Polygon’s Video Game Fashion Week returns for 2023 with a week of stories covering the worlds of in-game and game-adjacent fashion. Check it out!

But as life influences art in these designs, shouldn’t art influence life? This is why it’s so disappointing that in many cases, even the most ready-to-wear designs from games aren’t available to buy as merch. Some brands partner with external designers and shops like The Yetee, Insert Coin, and Fangamer to recreate specific in-game looks, but for the most part, the fashion options offered by gaming companies are just elevated promotional materials. What many fashion-forward gamers really want, however, is to express themselves the same way their favorite games allow them to.

If you want to wear your favorite looks from a video game, you’ll generally have to roll your sleeves up and make them yourself. I’ve been there. When Splatoon 3 launched, I was so