The 424 FW26 show was full of character. And characters. Inspired by the Italian tradition of artigianale (handcraft), the collection was bound together by gritty personality, celebrating the paradoxical beauty of the distressed. Rugged military blankets were upcycled into suiting, rejected leather was revitalized into patent stompers and denim was shredded with tufts of fur.

Stashed away in this collection were three looks that were equally characterful for very different reasons. Sure, they slotted neatly into 424's combative vibe: fluffy trenches, shaggy vests layered over tea-stained shirts, spray-on animal-print pants. But they were also the outfits of actual characters. Well, trading card ones, anyway.

This trio of outfits were real-life manifestations of several characters created by Azuki, a self-described “next generation entertainment IP.” Azuki is best known for its collection of (cursed acronym incoming) NFTs of anime-inspired characters first released in January 2022.

Last year, those characters were made physical as Azuki moved into the trading card game (TCG) business, with starter decks selling for the equivalent of $95 of the ANIME token (that’s nearly $2 per card). With crypto wallets storing NFTs like expired condoms — around 96 percent of NFTs are considered to be totally out-of-use — it’s probably a savvy idea to move towards IRL collectibles. Perplexingly, though, the gameplay guide came after the cards’ initial release, meaning that there was initially no obvious way to actually play with them. 

As such, Azuki’s cards feel like an attempt to redirect from the formerly lucrative NFT biz towards the TGC wave, which is seeing a skyrocketing secondhand spurred by trading-card resellers. It’s yet another case of the IP pipeline firing on all cylinders, spurting out strange multiverse crossovers. If memes can become movies and toys can become TV shows, TCG characters can, apparently, become runway models. Either way, it’s one of the most visible crossover moments between TCG and the fashion world to date. And, thanks to 424's marked good taste, it's arguably the most stylish so far.

“TCG culture is becoming a global creative force,” said Zagabond (AKA, Alex Xu), founder of Azuki, and he’s right. The industry is expected to hit $11 billion by 2030, meaning that there’s serious gains to be made.

Californian clothing label Brain Dead was way ahead of the game here, collaborating with Magic The Gathering on a capsule way back in 2020 (the link-ups have steadily continued). And, at major streetwear tradeshows, special-edition trading cards are produced in limited runs depicting everything from famous rappers to Japanese adult-film actresses.

But replicating the outfits of the characters, rather than just using their assets, is a fresh vibe. Just last year, Nike released the Air Max 95 QS YGO, realizing the sneakers worn by the Yu-Gi-Oh! character Joey Wheeler, alongside a custom TCG deck.

Adjacent to all of this is luxury’s earnest foray into board games. Last holiday season saw the release of Balenciaga Monopoly, Bottega Veneta's Jenga game and Miu Miu's collaborative UNO set, demonstrating that fashion houses are game to enter the world of tabletop gaming, albeit the kind you would find at grandma’s house instead of Noble Knight Games.

But fashion is clearly toying with the idea of TCG culture, or at least the notion of tangible collectibles. 424 took perhaps the smartest route to realizing the vision, affecting a “choose your character” but IRL approach that feels both faithful to the brand’s ethos and this brave new world that it’s gently tapping into. And, hey, at least the clothes are cool.

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