Recently, there has been one type of movie that has been dominating Hollywood: the superhero movie. Big movie studios, such as Disney and Warner Brothers, have gone all-in with their development of comic book-inspired movies, creating some of the most lucrative cinematic series in history.

The sprawling Marvel Universe seems to expand every year, with more big-name heroes, and even bigger name actors, being added to the roster. It’s no surprise then that these movies garner huge media attention, creating some of the biggest hype that we’ve seen in cinema in recent years. This has lead to pop culture boom around comics and superheroes, with it being possible to get a strange, eclectic mix of superhero merchandise that’s produced alongside the movies.

But it doesn’t stop there. The sponsorship and product placement opportunities within these films are huge, especially within the entertainment and gaming industries. Marvel and DC characters appear regularly throughout online slots, as part of the greatest trend for thematic slots. There is indeed a strong trend for themed online slot games in the last few years, ranging from more general themes, such as Wild Gambler on Sun Bingo following the jungle/wild animal, to more specific offering such as Winnings of Oz-inspired by the famous Wizard of Oz. In the case of superhero slots, they are inspired by their onscreen adventures, further cashing in on how popular the superhero genre has become. To put this in context, there are over 10 fully licensed Marvel slots already, with more in development. People just don’t seem to be able to get enough of their favourite heroes.

Since the fashion world has a long history of looking towards cinema for inspiration, so it’s no surprise that a movie genre this popular is producing some pretty noticeable fashion trends.

Back To Basics With Captain America

Captain America is, as the name suggests, an all-American hero. As his image is frozen in time from the 1940s to the modern-day (a running joke throughout the Captain America and Avengers storylines), it makes sense that his style and choice of clothes are simple and classic.

Throughout the movie franchises, Cap can be seen donning Levi’s jeans, and usually a plain, crisp cotton t-shirt. It’s an all-time classic look, that nods back to the fashion from the 1940s and 1950s, which have seen a rise in interest thanks to the increasing popularity of vintage clothing. Levi’s are the absolute epitome of every day, blue-collar American clothing, and have been producing quality denim wear since the 19th Century, becoming one of the most recognizable jeans brands in the process. On the whole, the outfit suited Steve Rodgers’ character perfectly.

How Hollywood’s Superhero Movies Are Influencing Fashion

How Hollywood’s Superhero Movies Are Influencing Fashion

Retro Comic Book Designs Are Proving Popular

The love of superheroes isn’t confined to movies. The recent big-budget movies have also caused a spike in the popularity of physical comic books, leading to their best sales in 20 years. This has had the knock-on effect of vintage comic book styles becoming popular, being used across apparel and accessories.

Japanese trendsetters Uniqlo have a produced a retro-inspired series of tees alongside Marvel, featuring classic characters like Hulk and Iron Man. On the other hand, DC has partnered with Converse, creators of one of America’s most iconic shoes, Chuck Taylor. Together, they have produced a footwear series incorporating DC comic characters, including Batman, Superman and The Joker.

How Hollywood’s Superhero Movies Are Influencing Fashion

X-men and Wolverine Film Series

In some cases, comic heroes are reimagined for the screen. Sometimes, characters’ outfits do not make the transition from paper to film well. Recently, comic films have taken a darker, moodier, more sombre turn, leaving behind the camp, bright colours that appeared so often throughout the golden and silver ages in comics.

Naturally, some characters have had to ditch their classic attire to fit with this makeover. The clearest example of this is Wolverine. Classically depicted in a bright yellow and blue outfit, with knee-high boots, Wolverine’s appearance was toned down for the X-men and Wolverine film series. A simple Americana-inspired look was used instead: blue jeans, checked shirt, and a white tee or vest. This emphasised the rugged, rough and ready nature of Wolverine, but also helped to show that the combo of blue jeans and flannel check shirt, or work shirt, are a tried and tested fashion mainstay.

Superhero movies have contributed a lot to fashion in recent years. A key notion with a lot of the superheroes is the fact that during the day they’re an under the radar everyman. Their on-screen clothing reflects this, drawing from simple, classic outfit choices, bringing them to the forefront of fashion again.

How Hollywood’s Superhero Movies Are Influencing Fashion