today we’re going over the Clothing and Fashion of Cyberpunk 2077. From Edgerunner Fashion to the color shifting fabrics of Urban Flash to Nudists and Exhibitionists, we are going to look at the vibrant array of clothing options, popular fashions in Night City, jackets, and fashionable cybernetics.
In The world of Cyberpunk, your look is everything. Night City is a very shallow and materialistic world where everyone wants to stand out. Being judged by anyone and everyone purely on the way you dress, brand allegiance has progressed to the point of cult like worship.
Peacocking and being so extravagant that people can’t help but notice you, gives you social status, power and opportunities.
This is reflective in fancier clothing items giving you more Street Cred, an in game statistic based on how good you look.
First off in the realm of clothing and fashion in Night City is Cyberfashion. In Night City Cybernetics are not only functional, but are hip and demonstrate social status. Even if you can’t afford top tier cybernetics, you probably have a few enhancements. Perhaps A few software chips installed in your nervous system to interface with your computer, to remember your appointments and improve your racquetball reflexes simultaneously.
If you are cybered up, you probably have interface plugs to operate computers, weapons and vehicles mentally. Maybe you have increased vision cyber optics, or scent signaling olfactory boosters.
Again, these are not only for functional reasons, as cyber fashion is a way of expressing oneself, and modifications usually enhance your aesthetic as well.
Next we have the general styles of clothing in Night City
First we have General Chic. This is your everyday run of the mill street wear. Regular belts, coats, and boots predominate this sub-sect. This is the cheapest clothing out there, reserved for street scum and the lower classes. This is the kind of clothing you’ll find in mega-stores and mallplexes. Cotton is a luxury in Night City and thus general chic is very generic clothing, and also 100% synthetic. Kids, Mall rats, and people who generally stray away from fashion trends, tend to wear general chic-styled items.
Leisurewear is Cyberpunk’s answer to modern day Athletic garments. Padded Fleece, and corporate and athletic logos are some of the typical designs of Leisurewear. These are sweatpants and shirts taken to the level of designer jeans. A real-world example of their signature look would be the Athletic wear from the 90s. It’s usually twice as expensive as General chic. Leisurewear are for people who like to look good whilst partying or out on the town.
Urban Flash refers to items such as video jackets, color-shifting fabrics, camos, leathers, metal trim and logo wear. This is the most outlandish and flashy clothing styles in Night City. These items are favored by Chromers and Boostergangs, obsessive about their looks. Rich kids and edgerunner wannabees usually wear these kinds of clothes. The latest trends are usually picked up by clothing companies who make Urban Flash stylized clothing. Urban Flash attire are for dance club fanatics, image-conscious mallplexers and metal-heads.
Businesswear is the equivalent of the standard business suit. Understated colors, pinstripes and real leather shoes, and ties are the mainstays of Business wear. Natural fabrics are used here with wool considered the proper outfitting for the up and coming corpo. A good mover or corpzoner wouldn’t wear anything else as dressing like this sends a message that they are in charge and in power. Businesswear is around 3x more than General chic.
High Fashion. These are sophisticated and expensive dressing options exclusive for the upper class. These are the styles Urban Flash and Generic clothing try to imitate year after year, but High Fashion features quality materials and workmanship that is second to none. Braindance and Video-stars also wear High Fashion designers like Miyake, Si Fui Yan and Anne Calvin. If you are in the trendiest of clubs and are wearing clothing that imitates High Fashion, you’re a nobody. It is twice as expensive as General chic.
Edgerunner fashion is practical and militant in design. There aren’t outlets you can buy Edgerunner fashion from, they are highly personal garments made of military surplus and sown and woven together using a variety of materials. Edgerunner gear is stylishly functional gear that looks armored or combat ready, without beaing olive drab military wear. Edgerunner gear seems fit the description of these jackets that are heavily armored and padded that we’ve seen thus far in Cyberpunk trailers and screenshots. Edgerunner gear is meant to advertise your abilities and that you are anything but a pushover. It also shows your worth in a high-tech dance bar, or facing down street scum in the Combat Zone. This type of clothing costs 3x as much as general chic and requires a certain COOL level to wear.