Latest news with #FiraXWear
Geek Girl Authority
5 days ago
- Business
- Geek Girl Authority
Fira X Wear and Crunchyroll Go Plus Ultra with New MY HERO ACADEMIA Collection
We absolutely love it when we can rep our favorite fandoms out in the real world. From shirts to jackets to pants, we have come a long way in what's available in the world. And as if we needed any more items in our closet, Fira X Wear and Crunchyroll announced they are dropping an epic collection inspired by My Hero Academia . Honestly, 'epic' might not even be the right word for this collection; we would have to say it's pretty 'plus ultra'. Okay, puns aside, this collection is fantastic. Jasmine James, the incredible mind behind Fira X Wear and designer of the collection, drew inspiration from the iconic sports uniforms for this first collaboration with Crunchy Roll. The collection includes a cropped hoodie, stylized utility jacket, futuristic cargo sweatpants and a fitted romper. Like other items sold on their website, the collection will range from size small up to 3XL. RELATED: Movie Review – My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission The Plus Ultra Feel Fira X Wear and Crunchy Roll were gracious enough to send us the cropped hoodie to check out for ourselves. We are beyond impressed with the quality of the piece and how well it wears. It fits right into the idea of closet cosplay without feeling or looking overly costumed. All the pieces tie together so well and will make anyone wearing them look like they walked right out of the series. But they also work great on their own. The cropped hoodie paired with jeans and a white t-shirt makes for a low-key closet cosplay. RELATED: Movie Review – My Hero Academia: Heroes' Rising Jasmine and her husband, Vincent, founded Fira X Wear during the pandemic while the two were planning a future vacation to Mexico. Vincent thought it would be fine to mix their love for cosplay with their vacation attire, and Jasmine's beach episode bathing suit designs were born. Fast forward a few years, and Fira X Wear has successfully bridged the gap between fashion and pop culture. The first Fira X Wear and Crunchyroll My Hero Academia collaboration is now live. Fans can purchase these pieces on the official website. We highly suggest picking up your favorite piece before it sells out. We don't have any news on the following two collections, but we couldn't help but ponder what they could be. Our vote goes for a collection inspired by our favorite heroes' super outfits. Which item from this collection is your favorite, and what do you want to see in the future? Dave Matranga Shares What It's Like To Bring Shōto to Life in MY HERO ACADEMIA
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
She took a risk to launch an anime-inspired swimwear brand during the pandemic. Now the Netflix of anime is giving her a big break.
Jasmine James launched a small anime-inspired clothing brand in 2021. She was worried it wouldn't be viewed as a serious business. Now, Crunchyroll, the world's biggest anime streaming platform, is tapping her for a collaboration. In 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlanta-based game concept artist Jasmine James was trying to stay creative. James, who runs the Instagram cosplay account Cutiepiesensei with over 500,000 followers, realized there wasn't much practical, anime-inspired clothing in the market. Anime-inspired fashion, she told Business Insider, was largely restricted to huge men's jackets or merchandise items that weren't wearable on a daily basis. So James and her husband spent more than $30,000 of their savings to launch Fira X Wear, a swimwear brand that blends cosplay elements with practical apparel. Since its initial launch, the brand's product range has expanded to include leisurewear. James left her game concept art job last year to focus on the brand full time. Now, the Netflix of anime, streaming platform Crunchyroll, is collaborating with James to launch a clothing collection inspired by the "My Hero Academia" anime series. Crunchyroll has around 17 million subscribers globally, the platform told BI. Fira X Wear's first drop, which has been in the making for a year, includes four items: a cropped jacket, a romper, a sweatshirt, and a pair of sweatpants. Two more product drops will follow. "Anime fans love to wear their fandom on their sleeve — literally," Crunchyroll's global vice president of consumer products, Anna Songco Adamian, told BI. "Fira X Wear and this collaboration is the culmination of all of that: professional design, craftsmanship, and fandom, blended into a wearable collection," Adamian said. Running Fira X Wear James was initially worried people wouldn't consider her brand a "serious business," given its pop-culture and cosplay-inspired roots. But she hopes that'll change — and that people will see how commercially viable anime is. "I feel like people think it's kiddish or only a certain age group is into it, without realizing that a lot of us, especially people in my age group, grew up with anime," James, 32, said. James said she didn't have a traditional fashion design background when she started her brand, apart from putting together her cosplay outfits. But she had plenty of experience making skins — alternative outfits and designs — for characters in video games. "I had to learn what colors and what silhouettes are visible from across the map. Because when you're playing, you have to be able to know who it is and know what their abilities are," James said. "So it taught me just the importance of color and shape and how to kind of apply those things in interesting ways to real life," she added. She said having experience with character design allowed her to "create things that are a little bit more unique than the average fashion drop." When deciding on pricing, James said she wanted her brand to be premium but still affordable. "When you initially go into anime or pop cultural merch, a lot of it can feel very cheap. On the other hand, you'll see very expensive designer launches. But everybody can't afford a $30,000 Gucci outfit to look like their favorite anime character," James said. Fira X Wear's swimwear, including tops and bottoms, costs roughly $50 each, and the hoodies are around $110. James hopes to expand her brand globally and design a collection of high-end pieces with more detailing. "There are plenty of times where I'll go into full character concept artist mode, and I'm clearly creating something that would be extremely expensive to produce," James said. For now, she's excited about her collaboration with Crunchyroll. "To have them look at what I've been doing on social media and look at my designs and instantly be like, yeah, we want to put our names alongside that, it's a huge honor for me," James said.
