Part
01
of one
Part
01
Specify at least 5 major market leading brands in the cybersport (online gaming) clothing market. Tell me about each brand's most popular cybersport clothing items, method of sales, and where they are manufactured.
INTRODUCTION
Hello! Thank you for asking Wonder about the leading brands in the cybersport clothing market. The short answer is that the five major leaders in this industry are: GamerPrint, Blizzard Gear, Sector Six Apparel, Sloth Esports, and Gamers Apparel. The highest demand products across the brands are t-shirts and hoodies. Below you can find a deep dive of my findings, which were obtained through corporate websites, industry reports, and trusted media sites.
OVERVIEW
There are many privately traded companies in the cybersport clothing market. This is a fledgling market, which has become popular only in the past several years. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find much data on the major market leaders, particularly on specific locations of manufacturing. This is due to the fact that information on private companies is very limited because there is a lack of regulatory requirements for public filing of information in the US. While each of the highlighted brands use different marketing techniques, they all use sponsoring teams to produce sales and publicity in the gaming world. The primary method of sales is e-commerce. I found no physical stores in my research.
METHODOLOGY
In my research, I first examined numerous companies in order to provide you with 5 major market leaders in the cybersport clothing industry. I then provided you with a brief description of each company, along with the categories of goods that are in the highest demand among the cybersport fans. I have included companies that "create designs inspired by the greatest video games of all time", unique clothing, affordable prices and positive consumer reviews. My results are as follows:
GAMERPRINT
This company is located in the UK and was founded in February 2011. It started with a handful of gamers designing a few t-shirts to fill the void that they felt existed in quality gaming t-shirts. The company currently has one officer, who serves as director. Their products are marketed nationally and internationally. GamerPrint is privately held and, therefore, not required to publish details about their company. The products that are in highest demand are hoodies and t-shirts with designs inspired by the greatest video games of all time"
GamerPrint includes 74 different t-shirts and 67 different hoodies, and a range of wall-art and accessories. Their premise is that "gamers aren't interested in noob slogans and simple game logos" on their t-shirts anymore. They prefer t-shirts that "don't shout 'I'm a geek'". GamerPrint works to create unique, original designs that appear as everyday clothing to non-gamers, but are knowingly recognizable by gamers. They aim to release a new design every month, but stay focused on quality over quantity.
GamerPrint's designs appear to be sold only online through their website. They offer free shipping in the UK and international shipping for a 5 pound fee. I was unable to find public information on their manufacturing location or their turnover rate. I did discover that their t-shirts are now "fair wear" approved, meaning that they meet the code of "Fair Wear Foundation Labour Practices" for ethical treatment of garment workers around the world.
BLIZZARD GEAR
This is a company that specializes with Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm merchandise. Their largest selection of apparel and most sought after is in the World of Warcraft line, with 139 products that is mostly comprised of shirts and outerwear (hoodies and sweaters). They are appointed as an authorized dealer for Arvato Digital Services LLC, which is located in Valencia, CA. They are the same company as Blizzard Entertainment, so they are using their own games to sell the clothing.
SECTOR SIX APPAREL
This is a company that creates apparel for many online games and esports, but is highly dedicated to military, law enforcement, and firefighting individuals. They provide custom jerseys and 18 different teams apparel (t-shirts and hoodies) ranging from Apotheon Esports to Xtrovert. They hold the most merchandise for Onslaught Esports with a selection of 9 t-shirts and hoodies. They offer worldwide shipping. They are a privately owned company, but based in Bullard, TX.
SLOTH ESPORTS
This company comes from Binghamton, NY. They state that "we believe that gamers of all skill-levels deserve to be a part of the gaming community, and have high-end, affordable gear to help them do so." They have had a number of partners in order to build publicity including Rival. A portion of every sale goes to the Binghamton Zoo to support the sloth program there. All their printing is done through Muckles Ink. They also provide custom t-shirts and logos for team branding. This is a smaller brand, but I thought it was worth including because of the ways it partners with others to get more publicity and recognition.
GAMERS APPAREL
This company has a selection of 53 esport categories. Another UK based company that offers worldwide shipping of the products that they sell, this company allows for custom designs and apparel. They also offer a selection of t-shirts and hoodies for each of the esports they have. I was unable to find where they manufacture specifically but they are headquartered in Droitwich, Worcestershire.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, these brands are well put together and leaders in the market of cybersport clothing. They each have slightly different approaches to sell their clothing, but mostly carry t-shirts and hoodies for gamers.
Thank you for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!