The world’s favorite blue speedy hedgehog seems to have found his from being a video game icon to being a fashion icon as well. The fashion industry has had their eye on Sonic for a few years now and he even walked to runway in 2007 while sporting a shirt and oversized necklace. Carri Munden is a fashion designer whose work has always been intertwined with technology and the gaming world. She founded her brand known as Cassette Playa in 2006 and claims that she was always interested to alternatives to the catwalk, “My brand was built in and for a post internet generation, so both my designs and the way I communicated collections reflected that.”
Which lead her to putting on shows using 3D printed shops, augmented reality, and a gif booth. In 2007 Munden began to use Sonic the Hedghog in her designs, “For me Sonic is an iconic character—his character design and also his speed makes him one of the coolest gaming characters ever,” she stated. She used Sonic’s famous stage Green Hill Zone as Inspiration for her 2007 show, using the color palette, and even the glitched graphic design in her clothes. The clothes featured pixelated designs, geometric shapes and outlines from Sonic’s retro games. Munden stated that when she began designing clothes using Sonic and his games she became obsessed to the point where she would only eat fodds that were in green and blue packaging. When Sonic walked the runway in 2007 Munden stated that she had created cardboard monsters with a friend but wanted the real sonic to walk the runway and after seeing the smiling faces of her audience she became so hyper with energy she ran down the entire catwalk hand-in-hand with Sonic.
However, Sonic’s fashion stardom did not stop with Munden, the blue hedgehog has appeared on a number of Glamglow products, Sonic’s partners in crime Knuckles and Tails are also getting in on the fashion spotlight, Glamglow is re-releasing their Gravitymud mask with art that includes Knuckles the Echidna and Tails the Fox. The Japanese sneaker brand Annipon has even released Sonic shoes designed to look exactly like the original Hedgehog’s red and white sneakers. Tails also has a sweater from the fashion company Dropdead, featuring his twin yellow tails on the upper left breast side. Ben Nortmanton one of the designers at Dropdead claims that it was a really fun experience being able to design fashion based on Sonic as he and many of the staff members had grown up playing Sonic’s video games growing up.
Sega has been very onboard with the fashion industry using their famous blue mascot in their designs and are flattered that Sonic is still popular among the older generation to this day. Dropdead’s collection of Sonic inspired clothing includes bucket hats,, slippers designed to look exactly like Sonic’s sneakers, and a bomber jacket designed with Sonic on the back as well as one with Sonic on the front, doing his signature “you’re too slow” pose where he crosses his feet and wags his finger taunting his adversaries. Even after 25 years Sonic the Hedgehog is still popular among the young and the old to this day and the famous blue hedgehog will forever be an icon in the gaming world and now the fashion world.
Featured Image via Flickr/BagoGames
