With a premium PC made of leather and a printer wrapped in soft felt, it’s not surprising that HP is set to make its first foray into apparel this holiday season.
HP will debut a line of streetwear-inspired clothing for fans of its OMEN gaming brand at TwitchCon this week in Silicon Valley, where some 50,000 people will celebrate gaming culture and the celebrity gamers from mega-popular Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch. With the launch of OMEN apparel, OMEN by HP, which encompasses HP’s performance-packed PCs, accessories and even a virtual reality backpack, is evolving into a lifestyle brand for esports and beyond.
“It may be an electronic sport, but it truly is a sport,” explains Kim Shelton, concept planner, consumer accessories and softgoods at HP who has more than 20 years of experience in athletic wear having worked for ASICS, O’Neill Sportswear and Oakley. “We're embracing esports head-to-toe and bringing it to a lifestyle framework.”