Is Animal Crossing Set To Become The Fashion Industry’s COVID-19 Lifeline?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo’s latest (and subjectively greatest) release on Switch, has taken the quarantined world by storm.

But that was to be expected. With new places to roam (!), new characters to befriend (!), new clothes to shop (!) and new activities to try (!), Animal Crossing offers a slice of life as we knew it.

A bit like The Sims on anti-depressants, it’s fast become both an escape and a refuge for millions.

Only, there’s more going on underneath the surface than you might expect. Particularly amongst fashion brands and fashion lovers without traditional outlets.

On Monday lifestyle and esports brand 100 Thieves unveiled digital copies of every piece of clothing it’s released since 2018 through the game.

As the 100 Thieves’ real-life drops typically sell out within minutes, à la Supreme, the brand decided to release the virtual versions as a “thank you” to its fans.

To the immediate delight of thousands, the free apparel line offered everything from 1T’s iconic baseball tees to its two-tone 2020 jerseys (which have, naturally, already sold out IRL). And all you have to do is put the unique creator codes in the game’s Able Sisters kiosk to get your hands on them.

As a marketing move, it’s genius. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is not only the fastest-selling Switch game of all time (over 2.5million copies have been sold in Japan alone), but the most talked-about game on social media globally.

And a lot of the conversation stems from the chance players get to customize the world around them, be it their shops, homes or outfits. The concept even boasts its own hashtag: #AnimalCrossingDesigns.

For out-of-work industry types like fashion stylist Nathan Henry (@naifhenry), the game couldn’t have come at a better time.

While the industry is on lockdown, Henry has spent his spare time recreating looks from the likes of Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake and more.

“I create with clothing in my day to day, as a stylist and isolation has taken that away from me,” he says.

“It’s so fun and I am happy I can still play around with fashion, even in isolation.”

And he’s not alone.

On Instagram, fashion photographer Kara Chung has fostered a flourishing community of Animal Crossing fashion fans, amassing over 18,400 followers in just two weeks as @animalcrossingfashionarchive.

“It started from a simple group chat with friends,” she says. “A lot of us working in media, fashion, and the arts.

“While we cannot make images in the usual way, video games have become spaces for people to be their own stylist, image-maker, designer, and model rolled into a customised avatar.”

Chung’s own work as a photographer had been put on hold due to the pandemic, with teams opting to pivot and realign in a digital space.

While she doesn’t believe Animal Crossing will ‘save’ her job or the fashion industry at large, she does believe it will serve to inspire appreciation and innovation.

“The issues that the situation has brought are far too complex to be solved by a game,” she says. “But what I’ve seen possible so far is that this account takes a tiny step towards reuniting a community in the spirit of creativity.”

Though the project is still in its infancy, Chung has started to work directly with independent designers and artists to showcase their work — particularly those based in Asia, whose operations have been disrupted indefinitely.

“I see the codes in the game as memorable way to reference the original, and the goal is to link to the physical piece however I can.”