In a cavernous former bank in SoHo, New York, Fortnite pro Nate Hill was gaming in front of a live audience of dozens when, over Fortnite’s voice chat, a teammate asked if he’d ever modeled at New York Fashion Week.
“Yeah, I’ve done that a bunch of times,” said Hill, scoping in on an enemy. “Not a fan.”
Hill, 25, was a full-time model until he signed with the esports organization FaZe Clan in 2018. Now he games live on camera for a living, and, professionally, looks good doing it. At D-CAVE, a popup gaming event thrown by Diesel North America CEO Stefano Rosso, Hill wore a blue Champion hoodie with colorful Pac-Man ghosts down the sleeves and well-fitting, light-washed skinny jeans. His clean, white Puma sneakers were adorned with Tetris blocks, and yellow sunglasses framed his foxlike face.
“So many kids that are gamers are really into fashion,” Hill said in an interview with WIRED. “They are looking up to people like us who do both, and I think they want to do that as well.”
It’s passé to even mention the stereotype of gamers in fraying threads pale from basement binges, but in conversations at D-CAVE, Rosso’s new “lifestyle melting pot for esport fanatics,” some attendees didn’t hesitate. Most references to that phantom slob weren’t accusations; they were points of contrast. Attendees looked nice. A pair of red Nike Jordan 4s. Tailored sweatpants. A gray Adidas sweatshirt with blue details that played off blue-flecked Adidas sneakers. A Champion beanie with a matching Champion hoodie.
