Respect the drip
One of the principles of good character design is recognizability, and part of that is what a character is wearing. Can you tell which character it’s supposed to be just based on their outfit? Better yet, can you tell who they are based on one article of clothing? It’s not a coincidence that the most iconic pieces of clothing in video games also come from some of the best titles ever made.
Fashion has been a pretty casual hobby for me, but it really is something I love — the clothes we choose to wear can tell the world so much about us, and in this case, the clothes that the developers choose for the characters in games tell us a lot about them.
Some examples that immediately come to mind for me are Chell’s jumpsuit from Portal, Clementine’s hat from The Walking Dead, or Mayor Lewis’ purple shorts from Stardew Valley — you know the ones.
The great thing about iconic video game clothing is that a good deal of it is wearable in real life, so we get a bunch of awesome replicas of memorable pieces. I’m also a huge fan of stealthy merch that has a cool design, but would only be recognized as something from a video game if you know about that game. Insert Coin Clothing makes some awesome stuff in that vein, and for that reason it’s been a favorite of mine for years — it’s where I got my replica of Joel’s green flannel from The Last of Us, among other things.
Our favorite fits come to life
Of course, for those who have a little bit more disposable income, there are more upscale options for real-life video game clothes. Disco Elysium‘s developer ZA/UM has put out a line of clothes from the game, which is fitting considering the clothes become a pretty significant piece of the gameplay. The replica of Kim Kitsuragi’s orange bomber jacket has been living rent-free in my mind since it dropped a while back, but I haven’t had the opportunity to snag it due to its price point and the fact that it sells out so damn fast.
If you’re really looking to flex on your gamer friends, American retailer Schott has a real-life version of Leon Kennedy’s classic wool and suede bomber jacket from the Resident Evil 4 remake, which fans spotted after the company had a disclaimer at the end of the game’s reveal trailer. Leon’s jacket is officially called the Classic B-3 Sheepskin Leather Bomber Jacket, and it’s available via Schott’s website for a tight $1,500. I’m not really sure if Schott designed the jacket after the game, or if Capcom used the design for the remake, but either way, it looks like it would make for a pretty sweet fit.
These are just the video game clothes that I love, but the list goes on and on from here. We want to know, what are your favorite articles of clothing from a video game? Do you own any? Is there anything you wish you could wear, even if it seems impossible?
Let’s discuss in the comments below!
