The video game industry has come a long way in the 'games as art' discussion. In retrospect, the debate always seemed silly at best; games are, after all, an amalgam of many art forms, where visual design, music, writing, and more manage to coalesce in a way that considers the beauty of each component. It is through these merits that games have become a larger part of the cultural zeitgeist, working to inspire just as much as they take influence, and with a legacy as storied as the Final Fantasy series, the realm of high fashion is no exception. Louis Vuitton's recent Fall-Winter 2025 Show opened with a theme many will recognize, paying homage to one of the greatest compositions, and villains, of all time: Sephiroth's One-Winged Angel.
The nod to Nobuo Uematsu's work, which remains a pillar of gaming's music landscape, isn't the only history Final Fantasy has with Louis Vuitton. Some might be surprised that Lightning herself, face of the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, appeared in Louis Vuitton's global campaign for its Spring-Summer 2016 collection, going so far as to be featured in advertisements and promotional videos worldwide for the fashion house. The highly stylized aesthetics of Final Fantasy have long leaned into the inherent strengths of character design as a means of fashionable expression, due in no small part to Tetsuya Nomura, showing just how closely the worlds of style and concept art blend.
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How Final Fantasy's History With Louis Vuitton Shows its Legacy in Pop Culture
Virtual Characters as Real Life Inspiration
Both examples of Final Fantasy's mix-in with the high fashion brand Louis Vuitton speak to how synonymous style and expression are within the games themselves. One of the reasons Lightning was picked for Louis Vuitton's 2016 campaign was because of her ability as a gaming protagonist to "herald a new era of expression" by leaning into virtual aesthetics for the real world; Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton's Artistic Director of Women's collections, raised this point when considering how to "create an image that goes beyond the classic principles of photography and design." Putting aside the memes of Nomura's emphasis on belts and other, sometimes outlandish clothing choices for his characters, the way that he imbues them with personality through style alone, enough to let virtual characters inspire real life fashion, is testament to both his work and the series' legacy.
Uematsu's Work and Gaming Music in Pop Culture
The same holds true for Uematsu's music, which in itself has become a source of inspiration for composers across the world. With new arrangements of One-Winged Angel having been made for FF7 Remake and Rebirth, its legacy continues to hold weight in both real life and the context of the games themselves, showing how style can resonate just as much in music as in fashion. Its appearance in Louis Vuitton's most recent show, a creative decision by Pharrell Williams, speaks to how game compositions at large have made waves in pop culture; some might recall Final Fantasy's main theme was a part of the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony, showing the series' impact alongside other iconic Square Enix properties, like NieR and its beautiful Song of the Ancients.
Some might consider Final Fantasy's history with Louis Vuitton to be strange, and it's certainly true that not all high fashion enthusiasts will be familiar with Final Fantasy or versed in gaming in general (and vice versa). Still, as games become more a part of the entertainment and art world at large, the way that they overlap with other facets of pop culture will only continue to grow. Louis Vuitton might be a high fashion brand, but the universality of fashion itself shows its practical applications in the real world and in gaming as its own medium. FF14's Fashion Report quests, for example, let players experiment with outfits to match corresponding themes, and FF7 Ever Crisis has shown the power of stylish outfits that draw on holiday theming, character references, summons, and more.
Fashion as Experimental
As an anthology series, there's weight to how much Final Fantasy's fashion informs the worlds its characters come from or the circumstances they find themselves in. The protective accents of Shinra's SOLDIER uniforms, for example, mirror the steel sky of Midgar itself, while FF15's shift from its more contemporary, boy-band-esque clothing to Noctis' Kingly Raiment in the game's final chapter shows just how much the stakes have been raised. Just as high fashion brands like Louis Vuitton can get experimental in their own clothing and styles, Final Fantasy has shown its prowess at doing the same, making its pop culture connections even more impactful.
Final Fantasy 16
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
WHERE TO PLAY
An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.
This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
