With characters as colorful and playful as Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle and Jigglypuff, it’s no surprise that the famous video game Pokémon is the perfect partner for a fashion collaboration.
Launched in 1996, Pokémon has sold over 380 million video games and has had over 1 billion Pokémon GO downloads since 2016. With the brand’s 25th anniversary bringing record sales across many areas of the business, fashion brands are taking advantage of the phenomenon of playing with the innovative and fun designs for their own purposes.
In the last six years, Pokémon has dramatically increased its presence in fashion, forming partnerships with great fashion brands and retailers around the world: from well-known, high-end fashion designers like Jeremy Scott to new names like Charli Cohen and Bobby Abley to high street partnerships with Uniqlo, H&M and Zara as well as collaborations with brands like Longchamp, Converse, Levi’s and The North Face.
Pokémon’s appeal to the fashion industry stems from its immense prestige around the world. The characters are loved by all ages across society, which is why licensing covers multiple areas, from video games to mobile apps to Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), animation and feature films, Play! Pokémon competitions and licensed products.
In addition, the Pokémon world offers an inexhaustible source of inspiration with its more than 900 characters in their unmistakable colourful, eye-catching and iconic design. Just think of the iconic and cute yellow Pikachu, perfect for an on-trend collection.
Mathieu Galante, Director of Licensing for EMEA The Pokémon Company International, says, “Pokémon is constantly looking for innovation and a new and different way to connect with its audience. Fashion was a natural step that allows us to launch a wide range of quality products in all price and style ranges to keep both young and old fans loyal to the brand. At the same time, attracting new customers thanks to Pokémon’s global appeal offers opportunities for the entire fashion industry, as the iconic brand is a never-ending source of inspiration for designers, many of whom are Pokémon fans themselves. In the coming months and years, we would like to further expand our success in the industry with further exciting and innovative collections and experiences.”
Pokémon is committed to fashion and innovation with designer and brand collaborations
In October 2021, Pokémon entered the Metaverse for the first time as part of its successful collaboration with Charli Cohen for Selfridges to celebrate the game’s 25th anniversary. The collaboration opened up a cyberpunk digital world that allowed fans to kit themselves out with products themed around characters from the Pokémon world.
The innovative and immersive shopping platform Electric/City was developed by production house Yahoo RYOT Lab. Via hotspots in the virtual world, fans were able to purchase items from the physical Charli Cohen x Pokémon collection sold exclusively at Selfridges, but these were then delivered to their homes.
Products in the physical collection included hoodies, jackets and t-shirts featuring the iconic Pokémon Pikachu. Once purchased, shoppers had exclusive access to the Snapchat filters associated with each garment, while also being able to use Snapchat’s AR technology to digitally don the garment. Each piece featured a QR code keychain that, when scanned, activated a Pikachu AR experience.
Other successful fashion collaborations from the past year included Swedish brand Axel Arigato’s collection of Pokémon sneakers and apparel, which featured popular Kanto characters. The palette ranged from hoodies with Pikachu and Meowth appliqués to boxy denim jackets with Pikachu prints and sustainably produced Gengar-themed vintage-style running shoes made from recycled PET bottles and recycled plastic.
For its part, Levi’s celebrated the anniversary year with bold, tonal jeans-on-jeans pieces inspired by the playful spirit of the Pokémon world. Highlights included a bright green denim jacket and 501 appliquéd with the forest landscape of Kanto, Japan, and stonewashed indigo jeans with an oversized Pikachu applique and sparkly lightning bolt patches. These bold graphic designs were alongside a range of printed t-shirts and hoodies featuring Ash and Pokémon art characters including Snorlax and Gengar.
Pokémon also works continuously with Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo and regularly releases limited-edition T-shirt collections for women, men and children, co-designed by various well-known artists such as Daniel Arsham and most recently magma. In the latest collection, recycled materials, plastics, and gadgets were used to sculpt the silhouettes of five Pokémon: Pikachu, Magnemite, Magikarp, Psyduck, and Charizard.
Mathieu Galante concludes: “Pokémon has become a true fashion icon. Its widespread popularity and hugely popular characters attract high-profile partners eager to experiment with innovative ideas, with creative partnerships and collaborations adding to the atmosphere surrounding each and every collection. From high-end to high-street, it inspires coveted garments and accessories with immense appeal and collector value.”
