Wargaming has forged strong partnerships with quality brands and causes over the years, from preserving cultural heritage to working with charities to much more. Throughout all these collaborations there’s always a sense of purpose, to create something cool and unique that’s true to Wargaming and what it represents.
But how exactly did World of Tanks’ clothing come to life?
Well, Wargaming has long been devoted to enhancing its fans’ gaming experience both inside and outside of its titles. We wanted to produce a range of clothing and accessories that allowed people to take a little of World of Tanks with them wherever they went. They had to be instantly recognizable, emotive, inspired by history—make you feel like you’re there. To do this effectively, you need quality people and companies who can collaborate seamlessly to achieve something awesome because the clothing business ain’t easy.
There was a lot of discussion about what the clothing line should include, and we reached out to our staff and military experts (“The Duty” World of Tanks troyer came from one of our editors) and tapped them for their opinions on extracting key World of Tanks themes that we could use as a foundation for creating a range of products our fans would love.
We looked at what our tankers wore, their insignia, what they carried with them, what was important to them—all in an effort to discover the balance between what was practical and what just plain looked good. We wanted players to be able to feel like they’re there when they play our games.
Where did Musterbrand come in?
So we had a lot of ideas and opinions on the clothing range, which meant we needed a company that could distill all of this into a range of products that best represented our values and provide people with clothing and accessories that would really enrich the World of Tanks experience.
This is where Musterbrand came in; a company that specializes in bringing the cool and exciting apparel and fashion we see in gaming into the real world. We began collaborating with Musterbrand in late 2013, impressed by their refined process and loads of customization options that they offered. In short, they knew how to get right.
For a clothing line inspired from World of Tanks, we obviously owe a huge debt to the rich history of military clothing, particularly how it manages transcend its military roots to become clothing and accessories that anyone can own and wear.
But because a certain brand of fashion has been in the public eye for a while doesn’t mean that it’s easy to design. There was a lot of communication back and forth, ensuring every stitch and shade was right—“The Front” jacket was dyed and tinted to military spec, just as it would’ve been and made from Nappa Leather.
And what was great was that Musterbrand had the same desire for perfection which allowed this process to grow organically until we both had created items that were authentic representations of military ware and available to a wide range of our fans. We’ll admit that we were picky during the process—and they put up with us without compromise so we were both proud and excited about what we’d worked together to achieve.
In the end, Musterbrand helped us bring a range of ideas to life. At the Musterbrand store, you can find “The Front”, “Tank Commander” and “Tank Gunner” jackets; “The Duty” troyer; the “Loader” kit bag; the “Ushanka” classic soviet winter hat; the “Commander Belt”; and a collection of “Ranking System” badges. All inspired by the nations that fought in the Second World War.
And Wargaming has a lot of existing and upcoming partnerships for you to look forward to in 2015. Stay tuned to the blog and our Facebook and Twitter to find out what great stuff we have in store for you!