At some point in our lives, we’ve all played a video of some sort. For many of us, our games inspired us and shaped us to be who we are today. Perhaps we’ve followed in the humble footsteps of Mario on his quest to save his Princess, or maybe we picked up a martial art after watching Ryu shoot fireballs from his hands. Our childhoods were filled with imagination, but some video game characters have stuck around and inspired not only our personalities but also our fashion sense.
Aside from dressing up as a video game character to attend conventions and events, some people have been inspired to model their appearance and even create entire clothing lines dedicated to video games and their characters. The virtual world is a sandbox for fashion, and it may become a big component in creating and promoting trends in the future.
Mario’s Moustache
Ask someone to name you a video game character with a facial hair and chances are they’ll mention Mario or one of the many characters in his world. His bushy moustache is so iconic that it’s instantly memorable. His brother Luigi doesn’t look too bad either with his thick handlebar moustache. With so many main characters sporting well-kept and stylish facial hair, it’s not unlikely that we’ve been subconsciously inspired by the humble plumber—after all, he always manages to get the princess! Perhaps that’s what he spends his collection of coins on. That, or he’s busy making it big with netentbigwins.com. He’s got to use up those coins somewhere, else he wouldn’t be collecting them all the time!
Deus Ex’s Clothing Line
There are even official clothing lines based on video games nowadays. Fans of Deus Ex (or the threads) can purchase replica coats and jackets that characters in the game use. Dubbed by designers as “Cyber-Renaissance”, Deus Ex’s stylish and futuristic setting has inspired many trends that have lasted throughout the years. The long black trench coats are tough and resilient, and you can even get bags, scarves, and leggings to complete the set. They’re all engraved with high-quality designs to replicate the game, and even come with exclusive rewards for use in the game itself.
Zangief’s Hairy Body
The muscle-bound Russian wrestler first appeared in Street Fighter 2 and has since captured the attention of fans around the world. Nicknamed the “Red Cyclone”, this beast of a man is slow moving, but if he gets his gigantic fists around you, you’re in for some pain. Not only does he have a stylish mohawk, but he has a full, rigid beard that surrounds his chin and tapers off at his cheeks. In addition to his fantastic facial hair, he’s also got quite a hairy chest! Zangief has inspired many of us to copy his unique approach to facial and chest hair, and his mohawk gives a stylish look that’s a perfect fit for a wrestler. If you want to follow in Zangief’s footsteps, then you’ll have to thicken up your beard!
Although many video game characters are cartoonish in nature with ridiculous body proportions, we can at least agree that it’s a playground for experimenting and testing. While a video game won’t be setting global trends that everyone is into, it’s a niche that deserves some exploration. After all, even Louis Vuitton used a virtual character to market their bags!