SixOn Clothing wants to help fans embody their favorite characters in everyday life
Credit: SixOn Clothing
There’s so much more geek fashion available these days than just a few years ago. So much so that it can seem like every fandom and interest is covered by what’s being released. Yet, there are still areas that need improvement and some fandoms that haven’t received much, if any, attention at all. Luckily, there are fans out there trying to make people aware of these areas and trying to make a difference—some through their very own companies like the founder of SixOn Clothing Nancy Lam.
SixOn Clothing offers designs inspired by video game and anime characters. You can find apparel and accessories with nods to games like Kingdom Hearts and The Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild. You can even find a shirt inspired by sci-fi series The Orville, added to the shop when Lam (a fan of the show) realized a lack of merchandise options for the series.
Her unique designs give fans a way to bring a piece of their favorite fandoms with them wherever they go whether it’s to work or to cosplay at a convention. Read our email interview with Lam below to find out more about what SixOn offers and what they’re working on for fans!
How did creating SixOn Clothing come about?
SixOn Clothing first started with custom cosplay costumes, later on it evolved to cosplay hoodies, before finally into fashion.
What is the goal of the brand?
The goal of SixOn Clothing is to be able to empower fans to become their characters in real life through cosplay fashion.
How did your interest in gaming and cosplay start?
I've started gaming ever since I was old enough to hold a Gameboy and I remember playing Super Mario Land and Tetris the most. Cosplay didn’t come along until around high school when I learned about people dressing up as their favorite characters (outside of Halloween). My very first cosplay was a Tifa cosplay made from mostly home materials.
Did you have any experience in fashion design before launching the company and when was the first time you combined fashion with your geeky interests?
Before I started the company I studied fashion design in college. I focused mostly on the construction and sewing, but we were required to draft new designs and sew those together. A lot of my designs were very cosplay-esque and didn't go unnoticed by fellow students (and fellow anime fans). I began to combine cosplay with streetwear when I started designing hoodies.
What is your process like for deciding what designs to create?
I personally like designing from classic and popular characters, and in the more recent years I've tried to go with what's popular and trending at the moment (like how fashion is). Sometimes I'd look at a character and I'd focus on what makes them stand out and recognizable, then apply it somehow into a garment. Like my Cloud sweater: Cloud’s got a lot of metal pieces and leather in his outfits; I went with a knitted sweater like his and added leather shoulder "armor" with a metal zipper and buckle in front.
Credit: SixOn Clothing
You recently revealed a uniform shirt from The Orville that's available for preorder. Why did you want to create this item?
I'm a fan of The Orville and I visit the Reddit forums occasionally. One of the threads mentioned a lack of The Orville merchandise other than keychains and cups. I realized they were right but maybe I could go in a different direction. There is already an abundance of Star Wars fashion, Star Trek fashion, [so] how about our own Orville fashion? The Orville has an amazing fashion lineup, but only in the show; I hope to be able to bring a part of that fashion to fans in real life.
In what ways do you hope your brand adds to what's currently available in geek fashion? What gaps do you think still exist in geek fashion that you want your brand to fill?
I hope to be able to add gaming and cosplay fashion into the geek fashion industry. Gaming clothing aren't just T-shirts, and cosplays aren't just costumes. There is so much potential and design and creativity that can be provided to fans; the gap that separates fan and superhuman can be merged.
Do you have any other releases coming up that our readers should keep an eye out for?
Definitely! Gamer fans should watch for new products that will be added in the next several months, and there'll be a new addition for The Orville fans too.
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