Diablo is haute as hell at Milan Fashion Week

Danish designer Han Kjøbenhavn unveils ‘Chthonic Penumbra’ collection, a collab pinch Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment and Danish manner location Han Kjøbenhavn unveiled a astonishing caller collaboration connected Saturday astatine Milan Fashion Week: a Diablo-inspired, high-end, ready-to-wear postulation for 2023 that will beryllium disposable for acquisition this summer.

Han Kjøbenhavn’s fall/winter “Chthonic Penumbra” womenswear postulation goes acold beyond nan T-shirts and hoodies 1 typically associates pinch gaming-inspired fashion. The statement comprises striking manner pieces composed of faux fur, vegan leather, and feathers, successful grey and achromatic hues, vibrant, blood-red fabrics, and complemented pinch pearls and chrome accents. Han Kjøbenhavn described nan caller postulation arsenic inspired by nan building “hell arsenic a beautiful place.”

Ahead of Saturday’s runway show astatine Milan Fashion Week, Polygon said to Han Kjøbenhav imaginative head Jannik Wikkelsø Davidsen and CEO Daniel Søndergaard Hummel astir nan brand’s collaboration pinch Diablo and Blizzard.

Han Kjøbenhavn’s Diablo-inspired womenswear postulation is not nan brand’s emblematic collaboration. It’s worked pinch different labels complete nan past decade, including diversion marque Puma and textile shaper Pendleton Woolen Mills, but Davidsen says that it’s been little willing successful those kinds of partnerships successful caller years — and that Diablo and Han Kjøbenhavn stock a definite “emotional DNA.”

“Normally a manner marque would do sneaker collabs and such, but... we person not done excessively galore collabs [like that] because it conscionable seemed almost excessively saturated,” Davidsen said. “We wanted to look astatine caller possibilities, pinch caller partners, wherever it’s much astir nan affectional DNA and nan relationship betwixt brands than a product. Talking to nan [Blizzard], nan lucifer betwixt america and Diablo has been really, really good, because my and Dan’s aesthetic, creatively, is not cleanable and sweet. The darker broadside [is more] our artistic much than a classical manner brand.”

Davidsen said that Han Kjøbenhavn aimed to debar doing a nonstop translator of what appears in-game successful Diablo 4 — and to steer clear, creatively, of what he called “gimmicks.”

“The halfway thought has been talking to nan Diablo squad and translating emotions to make judge that what we’re creating isn’t a one-to-one translator of a tegument — that becomes excessively gimmicky, right?” he said. “We’re trying to construe emotion into thing that tin beryllium wrong our world. Because we some stock a batch of imaginative DNA successful our visions, it’s really been a pleasant journey.”

Hummel said he sees “common ground, communal aesthetic, and communal emotions successful nan assemblage that overlaps a lot,” pinch Han Kjøbenhavn, “especially erstwhile you person an artistic for illustration ours and nan world of Diablo.” Looking astatine Han Kjøbenhavn’s caller runway and prêt-à-porter lines make it clear why nan crippled franchise is simply a bully fit, creatively; nan Copenhagen-based manner location leans into dark, disturbing imagery, pinch an accent connected achromatic leather, imposing silhouettes, and, yes, moreover nan occasional gimmick — for illustration a leather dress pinch a built-in choker that takes nan word rather literally.

Davidsen said that he was creatively inspired by nan “big, beautiful evil Renaissance” style of Diablo 4’s creation direction, arsenic good arsenic its “dark and dystopian” atmosphere. But that conveying nan “journey” of a player’s escapade done Diablo’s world of sanctuary was arsenic as important arsenic nan game’s acheronian tones.

“It’s astir being connected a agelong journey, which I construe visually sometimes successful position of materials,” he explained. “How does nan worldly respond erstwhile stepping aliases interacting? Of course, ‘conflict’ is besides a large point for me, thing I stock pinch nan Diablo universe. The acheronian is obvious, but truthful it conflict — but travel carries a batch of ocular emotion for me.”

Those materials, Davidsen said, see leather, rubber, and different skin-tight materials inspired by Diablo’s Lilith, but besides fabrics inspired by nan journey, for illustration mesh that conveys nan consciousness of nan game’s ghostly spirits. Hummel likened nan statement arsenic “dragging [Diablo] into nan beingness world” done fashion.

Han Kjøbenhavn isn’t conscionable runway fashion, though that’s wherever nan decadent showcase of imaginative emotion is conveyed, successful clothing and sound and ocular effects. The label, which was founded successful 2008 arsenic an eyewear brand, now sells casual, ready-to-wears pieces, including trousers, T-shirts, sweats, and outerwear, and Davidsen is good alert of nan Diablo instrumentality bases desires and expectations.

“There’s a logic why we commencement pinch nan runway show,” Hummel said. “It’s important for america to commencement pinch nan halfway emotion and past build that retired into much ready-to-wear pieces.”

“When we do nan runway, we cognize it’s a group format: It’s extravagant, large emotions,” Davidsen said. “The first duty for america is to get emotion out, beryllium royal successful immoderate of nan lines. For nan audience, we’re evidently reasoning astir daily, ready-to-wear pieces —hopefully we person a bully thought of nan gamers, and nan audience, and [will] create thing typical for them.

“They’re very circumstantial successful what they judge Diablo should be,” Davidsen added. “We person a reliable audience, and Diablo does too. That assemblage wants Diablo 4 to present connected what they expect of Diablo, and that’s thing I’m really alert of. I publication nan comments sections.”