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During the past few years, being a geek has gone from wearing glasses and fearing for your life walking down your school or college hallway to become the new bastion of cool and gamer clothing is leading the way.
There are many independent stores selling gaming related clothing and accessories both online and on the high-street with bigger titles opening their own stores selling merchandise.
From printed t-shirts to hats, gamer apparel has leaked into the mainstream becoming popular among gamers and non-gamers alike.
Nowadays you’re just as likely to see someone strolling past in a Minecraft t-shirt as you are a Ramones t-shirt.
Dimitri van Eetvelde, Managing Director of Level Up Wear, said: “Gaming is our passion, not fashion. Before we started out, we always thought that gamers were left in the cold compared to movie, comic book or music fans.”
Having an existing fan base is a huge draw for existing clothing manufacturers to support gamer clothing. Dimitri explained: “The fashion world is extremely competitive and relies on building your brand solo. Building a gamer oriented brand is very different since you can already rest on the shoulders of giants.”
Gaming apparel is a chance for gamers to showcase their passion in a simple way, not just flaunting the name of their favourite game.
Hunter Bond from J!NX said: “our most popular designs, across the board, have always been the most iconic. One of the longest running designs we sell, ‘Choose Your Weapon’, is exactly the same as the day we started making it, and people still love the design. Sometimes it’s as simple as an element of a game really standing out, or maybe an inside joke that really resonates.”
Being a geek is no longer something to be ashamed of, it’s something to wear proudly on your chest and gamer apparel is the perfect way to do it.