Faithful fans of the League of Legends video game now have a luxury line devoted to the franchise.
Last week, Louis Vuitton released a capsule collection consisting of 40 products inspired by the virtual battle arena, created by Riot Games.
True to the premium brand’s ethos, the collection’s gear—which includes sneakers, T-shirts, jackets, hoodies, track pants and more—will set buyers back a pretty penny. Many of the line’s products cost well over $1,000, with the cheapest being a $170 silk bandeau tie for women and the priciest, a $5,600 leather jacket.
The partnership, which was first announced in September on the luxury label’s Instagram, began with a Louis Vuitton skin designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, the brand’s artistic director of women’s collections, for one of the game’s central characters.
The skin, dubbed True Damage Qiyana Prestige Edition, depicts the character’s circular disk weapon emblazoned with Louis Vuitton’s famed monogram print. To access it, gamers must buy the 2019 Worlds Pass for 1,650 RP, which amounts to a little over $10.
Ghesquière was the creative force behind the ready-to-wear line as well. Bright slashes of blue, gold and silver accentuate the futuristic silhouettes of footwear and bucket hats, along with the brand’s iconic Neverfull bag. While the prohibitive price point and insular fan base make the LVxLoL line a niche offering, the famed fashion house is obviously seeking to tap into the growing fascination with and culture around online gaming.
Other brands have also entered into collaborative relationships with an eye toward cashing in on the craze.
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Following a successful 2018 sneaker collaboration with esports organization Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), heritage footwear brand K-Swiss went back to the well in August to launch the first mass-produced sneaker designed to appeal to the esports athlete: the MIBR One-Tap. The shoe’s lightweight, padded upper features an elasticated closure and a collapsible heel so that players could use the shoe as either a sneaker or a slide.
In early August, celeb favorite sandal brand ISlides re-upped on a 2018 collaboration with Fortnite and NBA 2K gamer Los Pollos, staging a surprise flash sale on the gaming-inspired slides. Within minutes, the brand (which appeared on Shark Tank a few years earlier) sold 150 pairs. By the end of the 11-day sale, the Los Pollos x ISlide collaboration had sold more than 750 pairs.
Puma announced a long-term partnership with L.A.-based esports organization Cloud9, which organizes gaming leagues and events, which took shape as a line of gaming apparel, this October. At the end of the month, Nike and one of the most popular basketball simulation video games, NBA 2K20, dropped a limited-edition sneaker that connects with Nike’s SNKRS app.
HyperX, the gaming accessories division of Kingston Technology Co., which produces flash drives and other digital memory products, launched an esports-themed collaboration with Champion Athleticwear last month. A capsule collection of crewneck sweatshirts, hoodies and T-shirts for gamers features a rose gold color scheme and a composite logo blending each brand’s most recognizable imagery.
New footwear startup DropLabs released last month its EP01 sneaker, designed to allow gamers to “feel” the sounds of their favorite video games through the soles of their feet for a multi-sensory experience. The brand, which is headed up by former Beats by Dre CEO Susan Paley, converts audio input into vibrations via Bluetooth, bringing games to life in a new way.
And on Wednesday, FaZe Clan, which represents a roster of 85 gaming influencers across an array of social and content platforms, announced the forthcoming release of three new collaborations with heritage athletic brand Champion.
The FaZe x Champion Winter Collection, the Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler line (repped by a well-known female Fortnite personality) and a capsule with rapper Offset will all be available at FaZe Arcade, the brand’s store in Los Angeles, as well as on its e-commerce site this month.
The Winter Collection, which dropped Wednesday, features limited-edition T-shirts as well as a beanie, hockey jersey and hoodie, with prices ranging from $26 to $120.
Meanwhile, Wheeler, a 14-year-old deaf player recently named to Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30 Gamers List,” will debut her signature hoodie style Dec. 17, the same day as Offset’s line. The Migos rapper’s heavily hyped but highly guarded array of garments and accessories will feature both gaming and hip-hop references, according to a statement from FaZe Clan.
“The reason I chose to invest in FaZe and become part of the family is they are the biggest and best in the industry and our creative energy together is unstoppable,” he said.
FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink expressed a desire to grow his company’s relationship with the sportswear brand and embark on more collaborative lines.
“We will continue to go where no team has gone before, expanding our long-standing relationship with Champion,” he said, adding that new player collections and other projects will be an ongoing effort for the esports organization.