How '90s Video Games Influenced Today's Style Trends

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis... when you didn't care about clothes, you couldn't picture this. Way back when you were probably too busy slotting your materia in Final Fantasy VII or even dodging errant turtle shells in Super Mario World, there was a style revolution underway. You probably didn't notice it, but those very video games predicted countless modern fashion trends.

Don't believe it? We dusted off some of our old cartridges and looked for downloadable versions of familiar favorites, scouting these old games for the kind of clothes hot in the streets right now. And well, the evidence was pretty damning. Read on to find out How '90s Video Games Influenced Today's Style Trends.

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Character: Guybrush Threepwood
Video Game: The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)

LucasArts may be defunct, but Guybrush Threepwood is immortal. The point-and-click adventure star is remembered not only for his in-game hijinks, but his appropriate flood pants. After all, he spends a lot of time on the high seas. While award-winning designer Thom Browne made a name for himself by pushing the shrunken trouser silhouette in his menswear collections, we should give credit where it's due, and acknowledge that Threepwood was already up on that long before Browne's first collection. Perhaps the designer was a secret PC gamer?

Character: Roy Koopa
Video Game: Super Mario World (1990)

It never hurts to have a fresh pair of sunglasses, and Roy Koopa knew that all too well. When Mario wasn't hopping around for dear life, the spiky-shelled cool guy was making him feel as if the walls were closing in—because they literally were. But even though the plumber got the best of him, Roy's cool shades showed that he knew a thing or two about the importance of UV-resistant eyewear in the face of molten hot lava.

Character: Guile
Video Game: Street Fighter II (1991)

Guess what? His theme is now stuck in your head. You know what's really awesome to do while listening to it? Get dressed. We already know the Guile Theme goes with everything, but pulling on a pair of camo pants while it's blasting through your speakers almost makes you feel like you can throw a sonic boom. Props to Capcom's design team for creating a character whose costume gave the streetwear world its most versatile pair of pants.

Character: Sonic The Hedgehog
Video Game: Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)

Regardless of what your shoes say about you, Sonic's red racing stripe kicks have always meant that the blue guy is fast as hell. In fact, when you break the container emblazoned with their image, everything speeds up more and he barrels through the Green Hills Zone (or whatever stage) at cracked-out Tyrone BIggums levels. What keeps them on his feet? Nope, not laces—monk straps. Because when you're always on the go, who has time to tie knots? Sonic knows what's up. The sprezzatura is just the icing on the cake.

Character: Link
Video Game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)

When he wasn't mucking around dungeons, searching bushes for rupees, and breaking people's pottery in hopes of finding some health, Link was setting trends way ahead of his time. We're referring of course, to his long tunic. Guys like A$AP Rocky have hopped on that bandwagon in the past couple of years, while the tall tees groups like Dem Franchize Boyz rapped about were another modern day interpretation.

Character: Axel
Video Game: Streets of Rage (1991)

Washed denim is all the rage right now. Speaking of rage, ass-kicker Axel braved the Streets of Rage in a pair of blue jeans that definitely weren't raw. How are we so sure? Well for one, you certainly can't do a cyclone kick if your jeans aren't broken in yet. And also, his white sneakers show zero signs of indigo stains.

Character: Shang Tsung
Video Game: Mortal Kombat (1992)

Mortal Kombat's big boss was known for stealing the souls of his vanquished foes, and also for not really having feet. That's because his layering game was as advanced as his sorcery skills. The whole drapey layer thing designers like Siki Im currently champion? That definitely channels Shang Tsung's steez. It's like they examined his sprite real carefully and went "Your swag, is mine!"

Character: Vile
Video Game: Mega Man X (1993)

Besides the obvious homage to Boba Fett, Vile's T-cross mask just looks pretty damn cool. It may mostly be for show, but we're sure that's something Kanye West can relate to. While Kanye isn't exactly the first musician to cover his face, his bedazzled Maison Martin Margiela mask certainly got people talking. It wasn't much longer until other rappers went incognito too.

Character: Bonk
Video Game: Bonk's Adventure (1994)

While Bonk may be a relatively obscure character, his leopard print outfit clearly had an impact on the style world in the past few years. Everything from Supreme x North Face collaborations, Givenchy bomber jackets, and Gitman Vintage shirts have been done up in the wild pattern. If we'd been so ahead of the curve, our heads would probably be as big as Bonk's too.

Character: Kazuya Mishima
Video Game: Tekken (1994)

Kazuya may be too busy busting heads and dealing with his daddy issues to notice his trendsetting ways, but anyone who's paid attention to street style snaps from the past few months knows that men are wearing white pants. Take Italian style icon Lino Ieluzzi for instance, the guy really knows how to balance color while keeping it all grounded with a crisp pair of white trousers.

Character: Crash Bandicoot
Video Game: Crash Bandicoot (1996)

No one really knew what a bandicoot even was until this Sony mascot burst onto the scene. His jorts and sneakers proved to be an ideal outfit for jumping from platform to platform—now a bunch of guys have followed in Crash's footsteps. Whether making them on their own or opting for a store-bought version, regular joes and style icons like Pharrell have embraced frayed hems for a while now.

Character: Ash Ketchum
Video Game: Pokémon (1996)

You wanna be the very best, like no one ever was? Better cuff your pants and flip your snapback backwards. Ash Ketchum did that when it was time to battle, and we see skater kids and streetwear heads do the same too. It's a good look whether you're about to get gnarly on a board or whip our your illest Pokémon card. Nothing strikes more fear into your opponent quite like that backwards cap turn when you're about to throw down your Charizard against his Jigglypuff.

Character: Richard Miller
Video Game: Time Crisis (1997)

What do Time Crisis and a good leather jacket have in common? Both will be eating up a bunch of quarters. The shooter's addictive gameplay has players assuming the role of one-man army and all-around badass Richard Miller, who in addition to being handy with a gun looks pretty damn good in a leather jacket. Maybe that's why so many guys still opt for a slim black version.

Character: Reno
Video Game: Final Fantasy VII (1997)

The Turks are hands-down the most stylish people in all of Midgar. Shady associations with Shinra notwithstanding, we imagine they wear a lot of Jil Sander and expensive suits. But from the pack, Reno stands out for the way he's always just unkempt enough. Similar to the way we see brands like TheSoloist blur the line between casual and formal with unstructured suits, Reno manages to dress up without looking fussy, a trend we've seen a lot of guys adopt as of late.

Character: Manny Calavera
Video Game: Grim Fandango (1998)

If you're gonna live in the Land of the Dead, you better dress to kill. Manny Calavera opts for a white double-breasted blazer, and looks absolutely smashing. The double-breasted suit is already a must-have for #menswear acolytes, and Calavera's early co-sign of the swanky silhouette is proof that good style is immortal.