OVERWATCH VIDGAME LEAGUE LAUNCHES WITH PREMIUM CLOTHING LINE

Worldwide fans of esports pioneer get styles localized for individual cities

After kicking off its inaugural season in January, Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch League established itself as the first major professional esports league on an international scale. The huge fandom surrounding the league, largely supported by millennials and Generation Z, quickly lent itself to a booming industry of merchandise, with T-shirts, hats, jackets and team jerseys, which fans can also personalize.

With 12 teams in its first season and 20 teams set for the second, Overwatch League has relied on a strategy of “being locally significant and culturally relevant,” says Daniel Siegel, the league’s head of esports licensing.

“The goods that we’re going to be making and designing should look different around the world,” Siegel says. “What we’re selling for the Florida Mayhem here should not look like what we would sell a fan in Seoul or Paris or any of our four Chinese team cities.”

That differs even within the U.S., with the Florida team appealing to its local base with swim and beachwear, while the New York Excelsior has embraced a trendy streetwear look for its products.

“Fashion around the world starts in New York, and the streetwear trend that is actually in the luxury market ... that all started in New York,” says Collette Gangemi, vice president of consumer products and merchandising for the Excelsior. “We’re really going to make sure that our looks are of a very New York City street look.”

This year, New York hosted the league’s first Grand Finals championship, which resulted in collaborations with big names including Undefeated, Champion, New Era, Stance and Levis for exclusive championship gear. While traditional sports are just starting to explore streetwear collaborations, as with Undefeated, Gangemi says, “We’re starting our league that way. We’re skipping the first 20 years of creating lesser fanwear; we’re creating our brand from a more premium space.”

Hot Looks

Overwatch League designs gear, like the jackets sported by the London Spitfire players below, to reflect local fashion trends.