Later this month, Critical Role will expand into new (but somewhat familiar) territory – the world of fashion. The web series will be participating in Creators in Fashion, a new fashion show that will be streamed live on the Style Theory YouTube channel. Critical Role will be one of several digital channels/creators to debut fashion collections, along with ZHC, YesTheory, Blogilates, POPFLEX, and Seek Discomfort. According to a press release, Creators in Fashion will feature runway walks, interviews, backstage glimpses, and “and exclusive surprises that embrace the future of fashion.” The show will air on April 25th, with a pre-show starting at 2:30 PM PT and the main event kicking off at 3 PM PT.
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While at first glance, Critical Role seems like an odd fit for the Creators in Fashion, the series has long had a robust lineup of merchandise. “It’s funny – the very first thing that we created, we made a T-shirt and we made 100 of them and didn’t think anybody would buy it,” said Critical Role cast member Laura Bailey in an interview with ComicBook.com’s The Character Sheet. “That was when we weren’t even sure if anyone was going to be watching the show or anything. That sold very quickly and it made me realize, oh, maybe we can make clothes.”
Bailey noted that Critical Role’s original merchandise ethos was making clothes and items that the cast and their friends would want to wear. When the show started on Geek & Sundry, it featured the usual graphic tees, pins, and posters sold by many online companies. But as Critical Role’s audience grew, so did the merchandise, with the company choosing to expand not only into gaming accessories like dice and dice bags but also bolder fashion choices like kimonos, cloaks, and tweed jackets, all of which reflect some aspect of either the world of Critical Role or its characters.
Several of those pieces will be featured in Creators in Fashion, along with one new piece that Bailey is particularly excited about. One benefit to the Creators in Fashion show is that it allows Critical Role to show off their merchandise line in a “cohesive” way, as Critical Role’s store often spaces out their releases over time.
Several Critical Role cast members will be involved in the actual Creators in Fashion show – Taliesin Jaffe and a “surprise guest” will be walking on the runway and Bailey will be doing interviews at the show. Additionally, several Critical Role employees will also be walking the runway, giving fans a chance to see some of the folks who work behind the scenes to make the series happen.
When asked about possible future merchandise choices that Critical Role could pursue, Bailey pointed to an obvious fashion choice. “I want to do shoes,” Bailey said. “I think with shoes we can get away with doing some really bold, fun, funky things because a lot of people show fun personality on their feet.” Bailey mentioned collaborating with a current brand, such as Converse (which just launched a Dungeons & Dragons line) or Vans. “I own a lot of Vans,” Bailey added.
Additionally, Critical Role also plans to continue growing its line of character-focused clothing pieces. “We have some really fun stuff coming up later this year that I’m super stoked about because as we’re creating these modern lines for our characters,” Bailey said. “It’s so fun to go down the line and see what would Vex wear? What would Scanlan wear? What would he promote if he were here. So we have some really fun things like that.”
You can check out Critical Role as they participate in Creators in Fashion on April 25th. The show will be streamed on the Style Theory YouTube channel.
