ARK/8 Blends Gaming’s Futurism With High-Fashion Sensibilities
The brand’s AW23 range hones in on the creativity of the gaming world.
ARK/8 is carving a unique lane in luxury fashion. Founded in 2019 by Dimitri van Eetvelde with the aim to merge the worlds of gaming and garments, the label is built around the freedom of self-expression.
As gaming becomes more of a widespread phenomena, ARK/8 looks to tap into the community’s multifaceted and diverse qualities. Where conventional labels producing gaming-inspired garments often lack the craftsmanship to attract a credible fashion audience - the brand’s vision is to transform the idea of “merch” into elevated, wearable pieces that appeal to a wide demographic, piquing the interests of avid gamers and style enthusiasts alike.
Having collaborated with illustrious gaming franchises such as Resident Evil, Overwatch, and Dark Souls, to name a few, the label blends the iconography of pop culture with high fashion sensibilities – utilizing luxury fabrics, sleek silhouettes, and bold graphics to create ready-to-wear collections.
For its AW23 range, ARK/8 looks to further its imprint into the gaming and fashion worlds. Delving into the endless opportunities found within the space, the label has partnered with an array of notable series’ and leading figures in the industry. “The overarching theme of our AW23 collection is exploration and discovery,” van Eatvelde says of the new collection. “Due to my mixed heritage, I’ve spent months in Asia and the US as a result. Traveling is now part of my DNA.”
Introduction
THE Lands Between
“
I see my work as a labor of love and a real-life extension of the infinite worlds that have always inspired me and millions of other fans
Enter a world of fantasy
”
TARNISHED DESTROYED SWEATER
QUEEN MARIKA SATIN SHIRT
FAUX FUR RUNES COAT
BOSS DOOR T-SHIRT
The lands between
Dimitri van Eetvelde
Inspired by the cult-classic ELDEN RING™, ARK/8 introduces the first drop of its AW23 collection titled “The Lands Between,” after the game’s vast domain. Translating its gameplay into a nine-piece ready-to-wear range, this drop boasts an array of genderless garments including bomber jackets, contemporary shirts as well as graphic T-shirts and hoodies.
The label also offers a whimsical adaptation of “The Lands Between” interactive map reimagined into a unique all-over print that unites fantasy with high fashion as well as seeing references to its antagonist Queen Marika and the boss door that completes each level.
OUTERWEAR
A Faux Fur Runes Coat and Printed Bomber Jacket form the “The Lands Between” outwear offering. The former boasts an ECOPEL faux fur fabric featuring the collection’s stand-out all-over ELDEN RING™ map as lining, as well as a faux leather patch on the upper back with an embossed Rune motif.
Crafted utilizing luxury Italian recycled polyamide, the boxy Bomber Jacket arrives in the complete all-over print, rounded off with fine details such as a dual-branded LAMPO zip in a chrome finish.
SWEATERS
Both the hoodie and sweater garments are constructed from a heavyweight organic cotton fleece make-up. Featuring “Tarnished” tonal embroidery emblazoned on the chest, the destroyed material gives a vintage-inspired aesthetic, and whilst raw hems continue its distressed look, the pieces maintain their boxy structure.
The Boss Mist Oversized Sweater arrives in another of the collection’s unique prints. Utilizing the same heavyweight organic cotton fleece fabric, this piece’s bold yellow hues and dual-branded ELDEN RING™ and ARK/8 sleeve prints are a stand-out addition to this collection.
SHIRTS
Tapping into the game’s main antagonist Queen Marika, the range’s shirt offering comes in both a white long-sleeve organic cotton as well as a black short-sleeve viscose satin iterations. With the character’s graphic print adorning the back as well as dual-branded prints on the sleeves — both shirts’ oversized silhouettes offer a versatility that is designed to make a statement both dressed up or down.
Constructed utilizing luxury Italian recycled polyamide, the boxy Bomber Jacket arrives in the complete all-over print and is rounded off with fine details such as a dual-branded LAMPO zip in a chrome finish.
Rounding off the collection is the Boss Door T-shirt. Its oversized fit, heavyweight organic cotton jersey make-up, and minimal front branding make it a perfect essential piece to complement any wardrobe. A prominent back graphic – reimagining the game’s iconic boss door – taps into the ELDEN RING™ fanbase as well as the dual-branded sleeve detailing, seen across “The Lands Between” collection, completes this T-shirt’s design.
Introduction
03
After dark
02
from busan to hanamura
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01
The lands between
Explore
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“
With Overwatch’s expansive roster of international characters and vibrant maps,
it instantly resonated with ARK/8’s DNA of global exploration.
Dimitri van Eetvelde
”
Collection 02
From Busan
to Hanamura
What is the significance behind Overwatch? And why did you choose this game to tap for this collection?
It’s really important to me that ARK/8 reflects a global audience, that is partly why I love Overwatch. With its expansive roster of international characters and vibrant maps, it instantly resonated with ARK/8’s DNA of global exploration.
Tell us a bit about the garment’s details and which features you’ve incorporated from the game.
We’ve relied on the great designs of D.Va and Genji including their many striking skins and logos. Overwatch is one of the richest games when it comes to the quality and diversity of its art, so the hardest part was to cut down and choose a reasonable amount that we could work with. The whole collection uses the same high-end fabrics that ARK/8 is known for. The embroidered patches adorning several pieces such as D.Va’s Racing Sweater, T-Shirt and Bomber, were executed with extreme accuracy and quality by one of the best embroidery houses in the world.
What are the stand-out pieces in the collection?
I’m a huge fan of the outerwear because I’ve always loved jackets. The D.Va Racing Bomber and the Genji Bushin Bomber feature beautiful Italian nylon and hardware, and are definitely flagship items. There’s also the Cyber Demon Sweater which adorns a very challenging dragon print that goes over the shoulders, sleeves, front and back of the sweater. Finally, there is the Genji Hoodie with its unique shape and heavyweight feel.
How does this collection differ from your previous drops?
I think it’s a lot more vibrant and colorful. It’s quite a departure from the ELDEN RING™ in that sense. However, it retains the shape and fabric identity that is core to ARK/8. That’s how we are going to approach every drop, keep the core intact while morphing the graphics, colors and logos.
How have you brought the game’s aesthetic into the garments?
The Overwatch collection draws on the game's inherent international flair with designs shining a spotlight on two countries: South Korea and Japan. Both capsules focus on two fan-favorite characters – D.Va from Busan and Genji from Hanamura – which weave in a futuristic racing aesthetic for the former and a tech-inspired design for the latter.
“
That’s how we are going to approach every drop, keep the core intact while morphing the graphics, colors and logos.
Dimitri van Eetvelde
”
02
from busan to hanamura
03
After dark
TARNISHED DESTROYED SWEATER
BOSS DOOR T-SHIRT
QUEEN MARIKA SATIN SHIRT
FAUX FUR RUNES COAT
TARNISHED DESTROYED SWEATER
BOSS DOOR T-SHIRT
QUEEN MARIKA SATIN SHIRT
FAUX FUR RUNES COAT
TARNISHED DESTROYED SWEATER
BOSS DOOR T-SHIRT
QUEEN MARIKA SATIN SHIRT
FAUX FUR RUNES COAT
TARNISHED DESTROYED SWEATER
BOSS DOOR T-SHIRT
QUEEN MARIKA SATIN SHIRT
FAUX FUR RUNES COAT
TARNISHED DESTROYED SWEATER
BOSS DOOR T-SHIRT
QUEEN MARIKA SATIN SHIRT
FAUX FUR RUNES COAT
from busan to hanamura
D.Va Long Sleeve Bodysuit
D.Va Racing Bomber Jacket
Cyber Demon Sweater
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After dark
01
the lands between
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Faux Fur Runes Coat
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Faux Fur Runes Coat
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The Lands Between Dress
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Faux Fur Runes Coat
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High-Neck Elden Ring Runes Bomber
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The Lands Between Printed Bomber
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The Lands Between Printed Bomber
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Tarnished Destroyed Sweater
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Queen Marika Satin Shirt
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Queen Marika Satin Shirt
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Cyber Demon Sweater
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D.Va Long Sleeve Bodysuit
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Cyber Demon Varsity Jacket
(COMING SOON)
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D.Va Long Sleeve Bodysuit
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D.Va Racing Bomber Jacket
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Cyber Demon Varsity Jacket
(COMING SOON)
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Genji Hoodie
D.Va Long Sleeve Bodysuit
D.Va Racing Bomber Jacket
Cyber Demon Sweater
D.Va Long Sleeve Bodysuit
D.Va Racing Bomber Jacket
Cyber Demon Sweater
D.Va Long Sleeve Bodysuit
D.Va Racing Bomber Jacket
Cyber Demon Sweater
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Collections
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After dark
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AFTER DARK
After Dark Sheer Bodysuit
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
Night Drive Sweatshirt
Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
Replicant Vinyl Jacket
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from busan to hanamura
01
the lands between
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AFTER DARK
02
from busan to hanamura
01
the lands between
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The
Collections
After Dark Sheer Bodysuit
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
Night Drive Sweatshirt
Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
Replicant Vinyl Jacket
After Dark Sheer Bodysuit
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
Night Drive Sweatshirt
Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
Replicant Vinyl Jacket
As part of a three-installment collection that taps into the popular gaming franchise Overwatch, ARK/8’s latest capsule “From Busan to Hanamura,” sees the brand harness its unique avant-garde edge to boldly recreate the hyper-futuristic graphics and uniforms of the game.
On one long-sleeved body-suit, ARK/8 brings to life the hero character D.Va with the modular shapes of her mechanical suit printed on the various panels. Meanwhile, in a more loose interpretation, the winding dragon motifs that adorn the Cyber Demon’s arms are wrapped around the sleeves of a black sweatshirt, bringing the focus to its glowing hues.
Upon the release of the “From Busan to Hanamura” capsule, ARK/8 founder Dimitri van Eetvelde discusses the creation behind the dynamic pieces and how they bring an elevated take on one of the most-loved franchises in contemporary gaming.
After Dark
Collection 03
Setting itself apart from other collections in the AW23 range, ARK/8’s “After Dark” pieces fuse the mediums of photography, graphics and fashion.
Crafted in collaboration with photographer and art director Liam Wong, the limited-edition drop of high-quality tops and jackets provides the canvas for the creative’s artistic pieces. As well as showcasing existing photography of cityscapes, garments also feature new designs inspired by Chinese typography and digitally-illustrated patterns.
In an exclusive interview with Hypebeast, Wong and van Eetvelde share how they weaved the old with the new whilst citing the various influences behind the “After Dark” collection.
How did your partnership come about?
van Eetvelde: I met Liam through his wife Denise Rashidi who’s ARK/8’s art director. Denise and I have been working together for years and had once discussed the possibility of doing a collection with her art.
I’ve always been interested in working with artists directly and translating their art into garments. When she brought up that her boyfriend was a photographer, I went on to discover his art and fell in love with it instantly. It had a Blade Runner and FFVII vibe to it, all while being shot in Tokyo – my favorite city in the world.
Wong: My conversations with Dimitri to create a collection began before the pandemic. I had just left an established career in video games to explore other projects, including this one. When building ARK/8, Dimitri was in a similar position to me, he was discovering how to make the most of past experiences and connections by channeling it into a slightly different direction. The biggest value we share is that we make no compromise on quality. Similarly to video games, many iterations happen throughout development to get it just right.
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
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You’ve got a long-standing relationship with gaming, particularly After Dark, how did you translate your aesthetic into garments?
Wong: Working as an art director in games provided me with the knowledge of crafting visual identities that later helped me develop a style for my own photography and even projects like this. I collaborated closely with ARK/8 through countless video meetings, establishing mood boards and setting the tone of the collection.
In what ways did you honor the essence of Liam Wong’s work?
van Eetvelde: We established a canvas that allowed Liam to express his art to the fullest potential. We tried to create as much space as possible on garments for his photos to be printed in the largest formats. They needed a special treatment to feel as epic and cinematic as they do in his books. Our team created larger panels for T-shirts, printed logotypes across different garment panels and dedicated a few pieces to allover prints such as the bodysuit and dress. The accuracy of the prints became an obsession, we didn’t want to lose any detail so our team put a particular focus on working with the very best printers to achieve pixel-perfect quality.
What are your favorite pieces from the range?
Wong: As a graphic designer, I love when typography elevates a piece and summarizes the look and feel of a product. It’s something I channel on game design and the same is true for my books. Considering this, my favorite piece has to be the sweater with the red typography that blends with my “midnight drive” taxi shot taken after dark in Ginza.
I make it known where my inspirations come from like the film titles of Wong Kar-Wai which are felt when you look at this piece. The custom typography from Toshi Omagari is embroidered in an elegant T-shirt which I helped ideate, but Dimitri and his team took it to another level.
“
Working as an art director in games provided me with the knowledge of crafting visual identities that later helped me develop a style for projects like this.
”
LIAM Wong
Night Drive Sweatshirt
D.Va Racing Sweater
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Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
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Replicant Vinyl Jacket
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Replicant Vinyl Jacket
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Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
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D.Va Racing Sweater
D.Va Racing Sweater
D.Va Racing Sweater
D.Va Racing Sweater
D.Va Racing Sweater
D.Va Racing Sweater
D.Va Racing Sweater
Replicant Vinyl Jacket
Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
Night Drive Sweatshirt
After Dark Sheer Bodysuit
Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
Replicant Vinyl Jacket
After Dark Sheer Bodysuit
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
Night Drive Sweatshirt
Antihero Embroidered T-shirt
Replicant Vinyl Jacket
After Dark Sheer Bodysuit
Hong Kong Panel T-Shirt
Night Drive Sweatshirt