How Cyberpunk 2077 Envisions the Future of Fashion and Technology

“Fashion is a language […] and it is a reflection of society.” Words from former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Paris Carine Roitfield touch on the evident connection between two different worlds, implying that fashion is not only fabric, but a mirror of culture and society. In the 90’s, the Grunge movement took the fashion industry by storm, with norm-breaking and deeply individualistic staples, establishing itself as a form of rebellion against the capitalist side-effects of a growing economy. From ancient times through the middle ages, royals have differentiated themselves from the ordinary through their clothing, wearing expensive garments and fabrics or even just by colour connotations like purple. However, if clothes can reflect societal circumstances, how do we envision the fashion — and therefore society — of the future? It seems like video-game developers have also asked the same question.

Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) by CD Projekt is the latest AAA-videogame that depicts a dystopian environment in the year 2077, allowing the player to enter the virtual world through a self-created avatar. Its success may be due to a realistic, yet distinctive aesthetic, dynamic and interactive storytelling or the involvement of famous individuals such as Keanu Reeves or Grimes, but the key experience provided by the game is one of choice. Before starting the game, the player gets introduced to the avatar creation menu. While being able to choose between a male- or female- presenting physique, adjustments on the character are strictly gender-neutral. This allows the player to choose between make-up, hairstyles and even genitals in the customisation of their character model. Character design like this takes a step towards the queer representation of avatars which doesn’t stop in Cyberpunk 2077 when it comes to its fashion. While types of clothing in real life is traditionally coded as womens-wear, there are no boundaries to what can be worn in-game. However, non-playable characters in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 are still created within the gendered lens of fashion; suits being worn by men; dresses and high heels worn by women etc. By failing to surround the player with a gender-neutral approach to fashion, it is suggested that the current rising movement in gender-neutral clothing will not have a significant impact on society for the future or at-least, not through the lens of Cyberpunk.

Regardless of gender, there are clear visual distinctions and fashion trends in the video-game. Fashion is divided into four categories: ENTROPISM (necessity over style), KITSCH (style over substance), NEOMILITARISM (substance over style) and NEOKITSCH (style and substance).

ENTROPISM displays a style resulting from poverty and harm to the working class due to the conflict in technology. It is, over anything, focused on functionality, utility and comfort instead of creativity and expression.

KITSCH is centered around individuality and is defined by nostalgic elements of the flashy 80s and consists of bold pieces, bright colours and a high quantity of reflective materials like plastic. This inherently supports the video-games image of a future society that does not prioritise sustainable practices or a sustainable future.

NEOMILITARISM can be seen as the so-called ‘corporate’ wing with its very protruding and modern aesthetic. Architectural structures with clear lines and cut-outs, paired with a restrictive colour pallets of muted greys, dark reds and black reminds the viewer of minimalism, Bauhaus, skyscrapers and reminiscent of Mugler silhouettes. The distinctive fashion of the corporate and wealthy shows the disparity between the rich and the poor, showcasing fundamentally the differences between the two. While KITSCH takes stylistic inspiration from the past, NEOMILITARISM represents the present and the cold reality of technological progress over freedom of expression. Nonetheless, the lack of individuality and self-expression of NEOMILITARISM insinuates the need for obedience and uniformity, a tool for fear mongering and classist undertones.

NEOKITSCH incorporates both NEOMILITARISM and KTISCH into a style, combining bold colours and reflective materials with geometric structures and sharp designs. It is linked to the wealthiest elites - those who “can afford to buy anything, who can afford to be anything they want to be.” (CD Projekt). Their economic hierarchy exists between the lines of these styles, with Entropy being the style represented in the poorest communities and Neokitsch represented by the wealthiest. It also shows how the rich appropriate the rebellious fashion towards the minimalist aesthetic of the corporations, as afterall, Cyberpunk 2077 displays a society characterised by capitalist greed and power.

Another component in the video-game is the modification of electronic brain implants which are visible on the faces of the characters that also come in different styles. With Elon Musks ‘Neuralink’ already testing brain-computer- interfaces, it raises the question: Will this be our reality in the near future and if so, will it have an impact on how we express ourselves? In Cyberpunk 2077, the bionic human uses technology not only as an accessory, but also a tool to communicate or identity other people and objects, as-well as a way to escape virtual reality at anytime. This can be seen in clubs, where many visitors are not celebrating in ‘real time’ but sitting alone and enjoying themselves through virtual experience.

Given that the player of Cyberpunk 2077 enters a digital world by just playing the video-game itself, and the gaming industry itself is booming with record-level amounts of players per platform, is it safe to say that avatars will play a bigger role in showcasing the future, when we can eventually enter a virtual world through an implant connection to our brain? Will the appearance of our digitalised selves hold more value than our physical bodies in the near future? The impact and change of virtual self-representation is not discussed within the story of the video-game. However, it is likely — with recent developments in avatar creation through applications such as VRChat — that expressing ourselves through a virtual self will become more evident in the future.

Cyberpunk 2077 visualised a possible future in which fashion is still a mirror of society. While economic status has a strong impact on the clothes of different groups of people, the video-game also allows the player to choose from gender-neutral clothing in a society that is still hindered by stereotypical binary fashion standards. Additionally, introducing technology as a visual attachment varying in style, makes virtual reality not only functional but also an essential part of ones appearance in the upcoming future. With the lack of wearable technology shown in the video=game, it is insinuated that their benefits, given by already existing products such as smart watches, is converted by neural implants. It is questionable however that, if wearable technology might not be complimentary in a bionic society, it can be replaced in its entirety. Upcoming futuristic video-game developers have an ongoing challenge in weighting the different societal circumstances of digitalisation and lastly, what impact video games has on the future of fashion.