The aphorism “fashion is an escape” tops the current fashion playbook. While the tension in this form of art has always been between the mirror and the portal—whether fashion should be reflecting the brutal reality or an escape from it—fashion is undoubtedly selling a fantasy. The ideal would be to do both simultaneously. But in turbulent times, fantasy is not frivolous; it’s survival.
The Great Escapism
As much as we appreciate point-blank reality, they tend to fall short: are they performative? Are we lining the pockets of capitalism with traumas? Ultimately, the audience is not looking for factual reads that mirror the bleak everyday life—especially not in overwhelming times when relentless realism can feel oppressive. Instead, we are shifting towards fantasy—a carefree realm that creates and promotes an idealised and romanticised version of lifestyles or appearances.
Living with fractured realities, this “escape” offers an emotional safety net for not just the audiences but also the creators—the minority, marginalised, and less privileged. “Gender fluidity is fantasy. I want people to feel like a fluid, talking fantasy—beyond gender, beyond norms,” Harris Reed shared with i-D in 2021. Fashion, in this case, serves as a refuge for a community to express themselves in a fantasy world where gender stereotypes are nowhere to be seen. It also doubles as a protection gear, a “weapon of fantasy” as Billy Porter puts it, “to fight for my existence in a world that wants me invisible.”
Fantasy as a genre often involves magical and mythical elements, and fashion serves as a medium to showcase this genre, much like anime, video games, tabletop games, sci-fi, or comics. As we collectively fall back into our fantasy world—each “cosplaying” as a character we would imagine ourselves to be, an avatar, almost—sobriquets like dark academia, cyberpunk, and nascent trends on social media like cottagecore, medievalcore, and office siren, became a pink-tinted abracadabra. These affordable and accessible dopamine can be traced back to subcultures, as they offer a sense of belonging and inclusivity that is very much needed in an age of economic instability and political unrest.
When digitalisation intersects with a fierce yearning for nostalgia, escapism in fashion is no longer a mere concept; it becomes rooted in the strong bond found within subculture communities, acting as a creative recharge. The collision leads to strategic market expansion, propelled by the democratisation of luxury. With brands releasing their behind-the-scenes videos like Loewe, we see how even though fleeting trends and short-form video provide gratification, savvier consumers are looking for more: content that is more elaborate and beyond aesthetic. Intellectuals—geeks and nerds—are the new sexy in fashion. These demands can also be found in animation and anime. Be it the artistry or the community, they are parading into the luxury world as they shrug off their “outcast” label.
The Grand Entrance
Originally a niche form of Japanese entertainment that is traditionally a part of the youth culture, anime is a creative mine that has always been intrinsically linked to fashion. The characters often sport real-world-inspired outfits, hairstyles, and makeup as the creators give them a backstory or character development. The famous gilded black dress worn by Setsuna Meiou (Sailor Pluto), for example, drew inspiration from Chanel’s Haute Couture Spring 1992 collection.
As for fashion, the influence infiltrates through the aesthetics as a starter. Fantasy anime, for example, changed not just the sartorial choices of a young teen but also blossomed into mahou shoujo-kei (Magical Girls), a subculture that fashion brands take a page out of. With an emphasis on whimsical designs topped with a vibrant bubblegum palette, metallic charms, and sparkles, it has been dominating the fashion sphere recently. The viral campaign for Gentle Monster’s 2025 Jewellery Collection—featuring bejewelled glasses and accessories such as magic wands—is one such example.
Anime and brand collections are not new in the fashion world. Think Spy x Family and Dior, Astro Boy and Onitsuka Tiger, and Princess Mononoke and Levi’s, to name a few. In 2025, a capsule collaboration with an anime franchise—a disposable income—is far from groundbreaking. Apart from weaving the artistry into garment-making, the increased use of anime as a marketing tool—illustrator Annie Choi is in high demand now following her collaboration with Hermès, Loewe, and Helmut Lang—further cemented the influence of anime in the fashion domain. Often praised for their artistic merits, anime offers unparalleled visual richness that fashion can take reference from. On the other end of the stick, titles such as Sailor Moon (1992), Paradise Kiss (2005), Nana (2005), or Jujutsu Kaisen (2018) have a penchant for high fashion—a window that exposes many young viewers to the fashion industry.
The 2-D Intervention
Anime gained significant global popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, fueled by the rise of VHS and later, the Internet. The Millennials and Gen Zs—who are currently leading fashion houses—grew up with these franchises that posed a huge impact on their ideology, social values, and even beauty preferences. Hence, it’s reasonable for them to shift the gears and create fashion work that evolves around their childhood influences. Fashion houses are riding high on the tide of nostalgia, or in other words, the Millennial and Gen Z currency. From the Jimmy Choo Sailor Moon boots to Loewe’s Studio Ghibli Howl’s earrings, these pieces foster a sense of comfort, familiarity, and belonging. Walking arm in arm with loyalty, purchase intention and also visibly increased engagement, brands latch on to anime to monetise childhood memories, leveraging emotional and cultural moments. And if done right, the chances of audience retention will help in enhancing brand perception and relevancy that goes beyond the traditional luxury clientele.
The overlap between domains is apparent when it comes to world-building. Rick Owens or Chrome Hearts, for example, have created cult-like followings—the power to connect people from diverse backgrounds, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. Despite originating from Japan, anime is commonly associated with a fantastical world that permeates the narratives, painting an ideal world where barriers are dismantled. In the post-pandemic world filled with uncertainty, world-building is essential and transformative for brands to wrestle in the mud. As they create a coherent space and identity that stands out in saturated digital and physical spaces, the story, experience, and sense of belonging to a community become a determining factor in the value proposition. Brands need more than just garments to command premium prices and brand loyalty, especially with economic flux and conscious consumption.
Not just for cult fashion, world-building is also crucial for legendary fashion houses like Hermès. These ne plus ultra of tastemakers in fashion band creatives, like animator Annie Choi, for storytelling through their artistry and ultimately, shaping a brand identity. This is a move that aligns seamlessly with the house’s commitment as a patron of the arts. While the shift from traditional campaign formats is deeply rooted in the inescapable use of social media in marketing, it is also a tasteful move to tap into a contemporary art world, conveying its design philosophy and resharing its heritage and role in the luxury sphere.
For an industry that is constantly craving fresh narratives, the animated world offers interminable inspiration, surmounting surface-level elements. Not only are the plot lines emotionally-charged, but the influence also blurs physical and digital identities—something the fashion industry is currently probing into. Apart from that, anime often challenges the norm, from gender roles to political ideologies—a cultural subversion that diverges from traditional expectations and genre tropes. Local fashion brand Notinlist is an example of how a fashion brand can be built upon strong storytelling fueled by “rich storytelling of manga, the captivating visuals of anime, and the immersive worlds of video games”, as enumerated on its official website. This subversive spirit aligns with fashion’s rebellious nature, spurring creators to think beyond threads and needles.
Cyberpunk post-apocalyptic manga series Akira (1982) and its animated film adaptation, released in 1988, for instance, have a firm footing in streetwear culture. The wardrobe of the main character, Kaneda, emphasised techwear and bold colours—the distinct red moto biker jacket—has a continued relevance in the techwear community, including tribute collections by brands such as Supreme, Comme des Garçons, and Kenzo. Akira is also the “greatest creative inspiration” of Kanye West—one of the most influential celebrities in the streetwear scene. The enduring relevancy of this futuristic and dystopian work has had a lasting impact on the fashion landscape, adding a new dimension to the streetwear culture in the 1980s.
As the niche interest grows into a cultural phenomenon, it becomes a Trojan Horse in marketing. Albeit controversial, the recent virality of the Ghibli-inspired AI-generated images trend—that we utterly loathe—proves that this form of art resonates beyond the silver screen and paperback. Statistically speaking, the anime market alone is predicted to reach a valuation of US$ 63.41 billion by 2034, as reported by Astute Analytica. Often with little to no high-budget marketing, anime has a steady pipeline, thriving throughout the years, depending heavily on a fan-driven ecosystem. Streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video, to name a few, later redefined the consumption of this genre, further popularising it. Be it new titles created in partnership with Japanese production, or providing subtitles and dubbing in more languages than ever before, this eases global access and reach, leading to a continuous surge in interest on a global scale, which the fashion industry would ardently want a piece of.
On the other hand, cosplaying is the heartbeat of the anime community, and this is where fashion comes into play. Once seen as a niche hobby, cosplay was a safe avenue for fans to discover their identity, self-expression and acceptance with fashion, or rather, costumes as a medium—almost like a form of fan fiction. Gender-bending or queer expression were eminently welcomed. Events such as comic conventions, too, grew exponentially over the years, valued at around $4.78 billion in 2023.
Since it exists at the intersection of costume, performance art, and fashion, cosplaying often sparks debate over whether it qualifies as “real” fashion. After all, cosplayers tend to prioritise character accuracy over wearability and comfort. There are, however, overlaps, despite their differences in nature: fashion shows, especially Haute Couture, bring cosplay’s theatricality to the forefront. And with more anime collaborations released by fashion brands—Undercover Fall/Winter 2021, for example, was dubbed “basically Neon Genesis Evangelion cosplay” by GQ—more people can partake in cosplaying and have more clothing options to play around with, rather than building a look from scratch like how they would in the past.
The marriage is largely celebrated, but not without backlash. While fashion builds communities for profit’s sake, anime is built around community. Loewe and Studio Ghibli’s partnership, in this case, is the blueprint and benchmark for luxury brands: Loewe Foundation partnered with Tokuma Memorial Cultural Foundation for Animation for a three-year sponsorship, providing the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka with financial support. As a form of visual culture, anime strives beyond graphic appeals; the possibility of fashion brands reinforcing stereotypes, cultural erasure, or even reducing the depth of these domains will always be the centre
of debates.
Even if anime is the hot cake, the fashion realm is predominantly led by Western cultures, hence the convergence needs to be done thoughtfully. Some of the near-flawless examples include the Jujutsu Kaisen and Dolce & Gabbana collaboration, where Sunghoo Park, director of the anime’s first season, was commissioned to create illustrations for this collaboration. For the Gucci Flora perfume campaign in 2021, Gucci Beauty enlisted a production crew including Terumi Nishii—animator credited as the character designer for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable—and Akihiko Ôta, who made a name with work such as One Piece: Adventure of Nebulandia and Boruto: Naruto the Movie. The involvement of people from the industries is the least a fashion brand could do to give back to the community as a token of appreciation. As the luxury fashion-verse addresses these concerns, the collaboration—or in an ideal circumstance, a cultural exchange—can bloom beyond cash grabs. Ultimately, anime is not a trend; it’s a culture, and fashion needs to treat it like one.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Malaysia August 2025 Issue.
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