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The National
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
A history of PlayStation collaborations, from McDonalds to Les Benjamins
Since the first PlayStation was released in 1994, the console and its successors have sat comfortably on the throne of gaming. Despite competition from Nintendo and Xbox, each generation of PlayStation has remained some of the bestselling, with the most successful of all being the PlayStation 2, which sold more than 160 million units. With its popularity comes the demand for co-branded merchandise. This past weekend, Turkish clothing brand Les Benjamins announced a collaboration with PlayStation to release clothes with the console's logo and tagline. The collaboration is the latest attempt by PlayStation to expand its brand and cement its place in pop culture. Here, we look at all the different collaborations with PlayStation over the years. Les Benjamins's PlayStation release includes three T-shirts, two sweatshirts, a hoodie, a bomber jacket, a polo shirt and jeans. All the items bear the PlayStation logo with the brand's name written in the console's recognisable font. The clothes also make use of the four shapes found on every PlayStation controller – circle, square, X and triangle. Last year, to celebrate PlayStation's 30th anniversary in December, Japanese clothing brand Beams released a set of hoodies and crewnecks that celebrated the gaming console. These were a lot more subtle in their representation and used the PlayStation's iconography in a minimalist way. German sportswear brand Puma also collaborated with PlayStation to release a line of colourful t-shirts. The Puma line used hues such as baby blue and violet to present a more playful side of the console. Alongside the shirts, Puma also released a PlayStation shoe collection that is closer in spirit to the console colours. The sports shoes came in black, white and blue and featured details that fans of the console will recognise. But biggest shoe collaboration for PlayStation was in 2021, when rapper Travis Scott and Nike released a special pair. The Nike Dunk Lows feature the signature Travis Scott reverse swoosh and the original PlayStation Logo with Japanese lettering under it. The cream and light blue footwear was an instant hit with collectors and PlayStation fans alike. Today, the shoes sell for upwards of $2,000 on marketplace StockX. PlayStation fans were given a chance to play with their food with the release of a pasta collaboration in 2023. British online supermarket Ocado and pasta makers Garofalo teamed up with Sony to create pasta shaped like the characters on the Sony controller. The PlayStation pasta was sold in a 500g bag that cost $2.92. The collaboration was the first of its kind for PlayStation, but it wasn't the first time the console was associated with food. In 2012, American fast food chain Taco Bell ran a promotion for participants to get a chance at owning the portable PlayStation Vita console. Four years later, the chain announced another promotion for a chance to win a special golden PlayStation 4 console, which has now become a sought after collector's item. The first documented collaboration between PlayStation and a fast food chain was in 2001, when McDonalds released a Japan-only exclusive happy meal toy that featured four characters from PlayStation games. The characters were PaRappa the Rapper from the game of the same name, Toro from Doko Demo Issyo, Pipo Saru and Chocobo from Ape Escape. There have been numerous releases of toys and collectibles that feature PlayStation game characters. Most recently, Sony released keychains that featured all the controllers and portable devices from its history. These keychains were only available in Japan and could be found at gachapon machines, coin-operated capsule toy vending machines. The most well-known collaboration for PlayStation toys and collectibles is with Funko. The company, which produces figurines that feature characters from pop culture, collaborated with PlayStation to release a line of some of its most recognisable characters. Some of the most popular of these are of Joel from The Last of Us, Kratos from God of War, Sam Porter Bridges from Death Stranding and The Hunter from Bloodborne. Many of the PlayStation Funko figures sold out immediately and can only be bought on the second hand market for exorbitant prices.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
On's New Trail Shoe Proves High Design Can Still Be Highly Technical
The Swiss brand's latest high-fashion collab with Loewe isn't made for runways or even cities. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more Sneaker collabs take on many forms, and On is a master of the trade. The Swiss running brand counts Beams, Invincible, Post Archive Faction and, soon, Kith among its roster of collaborators. But none hold a candle to the brand's most important partner of all: the Spanish fashion label Loewe, with whom On has released a string of high-profile collections since 2022. Last year, the Cloudtilt 2.0 — which has seen multiple drops over the last 12 months — topped the Lyst Index ranking fashion's hottest products and brands. Thus sets the bar for the pair's latest luxury sneaker, which On calls the Cloudventure Loewe 2. That said, it looks nothing like your typical high-fashion collab. In fact, it's not even made for city sidewalks. When it releases this week, the Cloudventure Loewe 2 will arrive as a technical trail shoe, building off the lightweight template established by On's existing Cloudventure series. Like the Cloudventure Peak 3, the brand's lightest and fastest trail offering, the Cloudventure Loewe 2 combines CloudTec cushioning with what it calls a Speedboard — a carbon fiber plate designed to offer both stability and propulsion. The shoe also features On's signature Helion foam, as evidenced by sub-branding on the heel. Though the exact formulation may differ from shoe to shoe, Helion is comprised of EVA and Olefin Block Copolymers (OBC), making it one of On's most responsive midsole materials (second only to the Pebax-based Helion HF found in its top marathon racers). As for the upper, On and Loewe settled on a mix of breathable mesh and translucent TPU overlays, available in seven colorways that vary between monochromatic Gunmetal gray and baby blue (the latter is exclusive to men's sizing, with a pink variant on the women's side). Underfoot, the Cloudventure Loewe 2 hides one of its most eye-catching details: a marbled outsole, reminiscent of acetate frames, that's easiest to spot on the yellow colorway thanks to its high-contrast hues. Of course, fashion has long blurred the line between city and mountain, with Salomon's infamous XT-6 model representing the peak of the gorpcore trend. If any shoe is destined to knock it off its perch, it will likely look a lot like the Cloudventure Loewe 2. The On Cloudventure Loewe 2 will be available from May 14, as part of a broader collection that also includes performance apparel and accessories. As with the Cloudtilt 2.0, the retail price is set at $550 — a steep increase from On's mainline Cloudventure models but one unlikely to deter sneakerheads who raced to score previous releases from the two powerhouse brands. $550 at On Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.
