When it comes to high fashion, gamers don’t exactly come to mind as the target demographic. But that doesn’t mean that the fashion houses of Paris aren’t drawing major inspiration from gaming culture — not the players, per se, but the characters in the games themselves. Louis Vuitton’s 2016 line has a new face, and while unfamiliar to some, Final Fantasy lovers will recognize their very own Lightning as the model of choice. Sporting a range of looks and accessories, Lightning is merging fantasy and reality into one pretty convincing package.
While Louis Vuitton’s venerable fashion presence has long been noted for its classic designs, this year, it looks to be doing something a bit more innovative and out of the box. Lightning, who serves as the protagonist of “Final Fantasy XIII,” is no Michelle Williams or Alicia Vikander, but she’s a worthy model all the same. Nicolas Ghesquière, who serves as the current creative director of the house of Louis Vuitton, gave fans a sneak peek of Lightning sporting Louis in a couple Instagram posts, where he called the video game character “a genuine heroine.” Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first high fashion gig Lightning and her creator, Tetsuya Nomura, have landed. Back in 2012, Lightning, along with a few other members of the Final Fantasy XIII cast, made their debut in couture on behalf of Prada. And now that Louis Vuitton has adopted the practice, it may not be long before the likes of Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner are replaced by … well, animated characters.
Lightning by tetsuya nomura and visual works of square enix for the new @louisvuitton ad campaign #LVSS16 A photo posted by (@nicolasghesquiere) on
Of course, some have noted that Ghesquière’s decision to utilize Lightning comes as little surprise — the designer’s collections (particularly his Spring 2016 show) seemed to be influenced by both anime and video games. As such, it practically makes sense for him to turn his muse into his model.
So look out gaming world — the fashionistas are coming for you.
