Need For Speed Launch Crew of ‘Unbound’ Fashion Collaborations, Including Berlin Based Brand, Namilia

If you’re in anyway a gamer like ourselves, you’ll be overly familiar with the classic EA Electronic Arts franchise, Need For Speed. The video racing game in which you can drift, drag, and challenge rivals online, has stood the test of time originating back in 1994, and is today preparing the anticipated release of the latest Need For Speed: Unbound, on December 2nd.

While we know gaming, fashion, music, and art go hand-in-hand, developers Criterion Games have increased the pressure on us this time with an a-list crew of collaborators including Namilia, Palace Skateboards, Versace, Puma, Danielle Guizio, ALPHA Industries, AWGE, Born x Raised, Brain Dead, and Champion. Not to forget A$AP Rocky’s custom Mercedes 190E and Vans x A$AP Mob shoe.

The opportunity to create a unique and immersive virtual world, creative consultant, Toni-Blaze Ibekwe, editor of Wonderland Magazine, says “Need for Speed Unbound presents a real visual identity, one where players can see themselves, and their style, represented in the game. With these partnerships, we’re blurring the lines between IRL and digital content, and my main hope is that fans adopt the freedom to express themselves through clothing, and apply some of their ‘daring’ in-game choices in real life.”

We see both the virtual and real life worlds colliding as Berlin based brand Namilia announced this week that they will feature six in-game styling items for players to choose from, that will also be available physically, and launched in January 2023. Their signature racing wear style lends itself perfectly to the franchise and has us ready to dress our character.

From Nan Li, Founder of Namilia: "Racing style has always been at the core of the NAMILIA brand identity, fusing high-performance wear with high fashion, pop culture, and clubwear. As one of the legendary racing games, Need For Speed has been extremely influential in keeping racing aesthetics modern and cutting edge. We love to see our designs in a digital, usable format, as virtual reality and 3D animation are guiding the future of fashion. All of the pieces in the game are available IRL, which makes this Namilia x NFS collaboration the perfect creative meeting. As a player not only can you feel strong dressing your character in the game in Namilia, but you can also bring that same confidence to your physical life and be the most powerful person of your imagination."

Palace Skateboards continue their line of vehicle collaborations but shifting into the digital space with four decaled motors including a Mercedes AMG GT Black Series 20’, Volkswagen Golf GTI 76’, a BMW M3 Evolution 2 E30 88’, and a Mercedes AMG 63 17’. You can also pre-order the Palace Edition which has benefits including three days early access, exclusive driving effects, clothing pack of twenty items, and banner artwork.

No doubt this crew are heavy already and as more announcements are released in the coming weeks, we will be keeping a close eye and ready to race! These collaborations are creating a meta of their own and we can’t wait to see what’s to come.

Pre-order now over on EA.com  

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