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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.
Hello! Thanks for your question about the 5 market leading brands in the cybersport clothing market. The most useful sources I found for answering your question are Statista and Newzoo. The short answer is that many e-sports clothing brands have a strong focus on branding that promotes their sponsorship deals, rather than branding that focuses on a particular game or franchise. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
This sector is very new and there is a scarcity of market research on e-sports clothing. There is no concrete list of the top grossing e-sports clothing companies, and turnover rates are not yet public knowledge. Therefore, I have included information on the five companies that are mentioned most often in market news, and which have team or event sponsorship deals. I have defined the "top 5 major market leading brands" for this response as those that have the most media coverage and that are most active in the industry.
INDUSTRY REVENUE
Although I was unable to find specific revenue figures for the industry leaders, I was able to find statistics regarding the overall financial state of the e-sports clothing industry.
Statista reveals that the value of the global e-sports merchandise market is $19 million. While Newzoo's industry report in this area would be useful, it is a paid-for report. However, their summary indicates that growth in this industry is strong, with "year-on-year growth at +51.7%".
INSERT COIN CLOTHING
Insert Coin is a UK based e-sports merchandise manufacturer, concentrating on clothing and accessories. They don't list where the items are manufactured.
Best selling items at Insert Coin are mostly T-shirts and varsity jackets, although the top sellers also include a scarf and lounge pants.
The current best selling game brand at Insert Coin is Borderlands. Other best selling brands include Dark Souls, Pokemon, Persona 4 Golden, Life is Strange, Journey and Hotline Miami.
JINX BRAND
Jinx is a US e-sports clothing and accessories manufacturer. They accept design ideas from customers and have policies in place for manufacturing from those ideas. They do not list where the items are manufactured.
Best selling items at Jinx include men's joggers, hoodies, snap back hats, and T-shirts. Their best sellers also include women's T-shirts and hoodies as well as pin badges.
Top best selling items at Jinx show their own branding including slogans related to "classic" and retro gaming.
ULT
ULT, a fashion line by Ultimate Media Ventures, manfactures e-sports clothing in Los Angeles. They have a heavy social media presence including strong Instagram representation.
Best selling items at ULT include jackets, T-shirts, hats and hoodies. One out of their top 12 selling items is aimed at women.
ULT's own branding is a strong best-seller on their site, but other brands include Battle on the Strip.
ULT hosts the "Battle On The Strip" tournament, and are active community members at gaming conferences. They sell exclusively through their own website.
G8 BRAND
G8 sells "innovative clothing for competitive gamers...and a few cool t-shirts and caps". They are "the official global apparel sponsor and licensee for Complexity, North America's premiere professional gaming organization."
"G8 sponsors professional gamers in WoW, CS 1.6, Quake Live, TF2, Madden, COD, Guitar Hero, and FIFA." They sell exclusively through their own website. They do not give any information on where the products are manufactured.
META THREADS
Meta Threads describe themselves as "the global leader in custom performance and casual gaming apparel" specialising "in gaming jerseys and gaming lifestyle apparel". Meta Threads manufacture their items in Los Angeles.
Best selling items at Meta Threads include bomber jackets, T-shirts and hoodies. They appear to only sell their own branded products, rather than branding for specific games. However, they also produce a large range of custom e-sports apparel for various teams (e.g. Denial).
ADIDAS
Adidas just entered the esports market last month by sponsoring Team Vitality, which will feature Adidas branding on their merchandise and jerseys.
OWN BRANDING
Worth noting is the propensity in this industry to focus on own-branded products. Particularly for those with sponsorship deals, or who (like ULT) run their own tournaments, there is a strong focus on branding that promotes the sponsorship or tournament. This might suggest an industry trend.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, many e-sports clothing brands have a strong focus on branding that promotes their sponsorship deals, rather than branding that focuses on a particular game or franchise.
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