Pokémon GO players may be ringing in the new year with some stylish clothes thanks to the mobile game’s newly announced crossover with Gucci and The North Face. For those more familiar with the many different forms of Rotom than the world of fashion, Gucci is a celebrated and high ticket fashion brand from Italy that specializes in handbags, shoes, and accessories. Meanwhile, The North Face is a California-based company that provides clothing and supplies to those who want to brave the great outdoors. The two fashion titans have collaborated this month on a line of 1970s-inspired outerwear.
The clothing in the collection is full of bright colors and floral prints, with the line meant to “celebrate the spirit of exploration.” Selections include shirts, jumpsuits, and vests padded with goose-feather down, and they all strive to mix the style of Gucci with the outdoor form and function of The North Face’s wares. The line also features luggage, backpacks, and other bags with prints that match the clothing. The luggage is also where the two companies are trying to be conscious of the environment. They used ECONYL, a nylon fabric made of regenerated materials, to produce the product. The line can be purchased in late January 2021 from both company’s online stores and viewed via a campaign video posted to YouTube today.
Also posted today is a tweet by Gucci implying that the crossover line will add a third collaborator in the form of Pokémon GO. The tweet only shows a flag with the Pokémon GO logo above a tent with logos from the two clothing companies. No further details are included in the post or anywhere else, but some past in-game events can provide hints as to what exactly is going on.
In May of this year, the mobile monster collection game teamed up with Japanese clothing company Uniqlo to place Pokémon-themed designs of their own into the in-game clothing shop. While there aren’t any Kanto-related duds in the current crossover thus far, it’s possible that developer Niantic will program the clothes from the Gucci and The North Face’s team up into the game for characters to wear while they’re collecting badges and hunting shinies. Nintendo has been far more outreaching than in the past with other companies in the past few years, so having Pikachu alongside high Italian fashion is more sensible than it may seem at first glance.
Pokémon GO collaborating with a high fashion brand proves just how powerful the brand of Pikachu is, even in 2020. The game continues to rope in players who would otherwise be out of the gaming scene, and the brand itself is an effortless crossover hit with the mainstream. It’s no wonder that Nintendo has been putting Mario out there in theme parks and movie roles, he has to catch up with the electric rat’s turns in Hollywood. Whether players take to wearing 70s throwback attire in the game is another matter, but the fact that the crossover is happening shows that the Force is still strong with Pikachu.
