Thread: Anime Clothing (Not cosplay-related)

Simple...

The secondary products of the anime industry comes in the form of toys and collectibles, games, et cetera. Fashion and clothing isn't really prioritized that much in the industry so don't expect too much quantity and quality from this side of the market. (Unless it's Sanrio)

But it really would be great if the clothes would be more good looking. I have a Death Note shirt that i wear and it does look plastered on and thats why i don't wear it as much as i would like to, just to show my anime pride.

Originally Posted by Jokerman

But it really would be great if the clothes would be more good looking. I have a Death Note shirt that i wear and it does look plastered on and thats why i don't wear it as much as i would like to, just to show my anime pride.

Right, case in point: Message - Anime Online Gallery

Great wall by aceman by the way. THing is take this wall for example, this made into a tshirt, even I would wear it even though I'm not a fan of the show. It has the anime theme with an unique design along with a side reference that some would get.

Actually, it's not really a designer issue...

*looks back on my years as an art school freshman in graphics and design class*

Shirt printing is quite easy and affordable depending on what method you're using, the quality of the prints will always depend on the method, the talent of the one making it, and the quality of the fabric and other materials. A lot of companies that sell anime-related fashion stuff are either low-budgeted or bootleggers, even if they have the grandest of ideas, if they aren't well equipped those ideas will end up in the rejection row. Let's face it, companies with lesser budgets at their disposal usually prefers the cheaper, faster, dubious, and the "safer" ways to earn. In the field of advertising and design, it's rare to find a company that lets their designers dictate the outcome and design of the products, it all boils down to the approval of the "Man".

To tell you the truth there's no well-established company in the field of anime-related fashion except for Sanrio, the company responsible for characters like Hello Kitty and My Melody. Yes it would be nice to have cool and fashionable anime clothing but hey, who's making it? Does the majority of fans even care? I don't think so, fans who gets less anime will tend to buy DVDs instead, young professionals and adults who "can afford" will tend to buy toys and collectibles, Sanrio will always be there for the females and the high-end fashionistas, kids and teens will prefer to spend money renting and buying games, some fans would spend for cosplay related clothing instead of the casual ones, yadda yadda.

I'm not saying that there are no big companies other than Sanrio that produces anime-related clothing with good quality, even big shots like Toei and Bandai are doing it but the majority of such stuff are targeted at a younger audience of 8 and below.

As a hobbyist i am also aware that some anime related clothing are released only for commemorative and special purposes. Most of these items aren't sold, instead, they are included as freebies included in major gatherings and limited edition collectibles so if you're willing to shell out big amounts just for the sake of otaku swag then you could always try this route.

Well just wear those expensive Anime Hawiian shirts. Those look really cool.

what if i made a line of t-shirts? with what the people want ......whats the guarantee they would be popular and sell......? what would you like to see on an anime t-shirt?

well sometimes i feel thwey should tone things down. instead of having the whole cast of characters from Death Note, let's just say, why not just have a black shiort with the Old English L?

i think the companies shell out mediocrity because of the money they know they'll make.