A new X-Men fashion collection is here for anyone who feels like their true alma mater is Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. The folks at Bioworld’s Heroes & Villains—the elevated fandom brand that takes in-universe inspired looks and brings them to your closet—are rolling out their merry Marvel holidays line already.
Advertisement
This release features an X-Men collection of winter collegiate-style jackets, cozy workout gear, and character-inspired accessories. Fans of Rogue, Storm, and Wolverine should be particularly excited! io9 recently caught up with Jason Mayes, senior director of marketing and IP at Bioworld, and Doug Johnson, creative director and brand manager of Heroes & Villains, to discuss the holiday releases and how they stay true to pop culture fans.
The products are certainly a departure from the old “logo slapped on a black tee” merch style, and Mayes talked about the company’s role in the evolution of fandom fashion. “When you think about licensing products back in the early aughts, there wasn’t a ton of that stuff out there. So we kind of had to lead,” he said. “I think since ‘08, Marvel [and] all of those folks we’ve worked with for years and years [know] what’s good about us is we can we can honestly work well with these large, huge worldwide IPs. We can reach every fan no matter where they are and what IP they’re actually digging on. From day one, we were always looking to do more and give the fans more. So our role was based on the actual fandoms.”
Johnson jumped in. “With Heroes & Villains specifically in the beginning, we stood for pop culture, we were heavily invested in our artists. We were super design focused,” he said. The company’s collections are almost cosplay-adjacent, with jackets and athletic gear that look like you could walk into Xavier Manor and pass yourself off as a student. He continued, explaining how this angle was born from wanting the brand to stand out. “As we were progressing, Bioworld just inherently became this behind-the-scenes design and merchandizing company that was serving all of these retailers across the world and across the country. But we weren’t necessarily getting our brand recognition through that avenue. Who are the customers that we could target to achieve that recognition?” he said.
The answer lies in fandom itself. “There’s a customer that is invested in the IPs, and consumes every little piece of content that’s ever been released revolving around those IPs, and is is actively participating and expanding that content on their own,” Johnson said. “You know, fan-made art, cosplay—any kind of content on social media that people are building on that support those those properties. When you break it down, it really just revolves around creativity and the maker. Once you get into that world and you gain that respect, they’ll stick with you, and they’ll help you build on top of what you’ve started. That’s kind of our Heroes & Villains take on how we could get some brand recognition out there, and build something like a cult following that people appreciated.”
Marvel is just the start of the brand’s holiday campaign across both Bioworld and Heroes & Villains. Mayes thinks the fans will be super excited about what’s in store next. “It’s a huge time for us. We’ve got some great concepts coming out. Obviously Loki [as] we’re focused on Marvel,” he said, noting the new Miss Minutes and Time Variance Authority-centric collection, and added, “We’re focusing on small gifts, sets [of] some of the bigger outerwear. Sleepwear is great for us in the holiday season. But yeah I will say that Marvel will be huge for us in the holiday and in the year to come. And Star Wars will consistently kind of pave the way for us.”
Take a look at the Heroes & Villains X-Men collection in the gallery ahead!
Services Marketplace – Listings, Bookings & Reviews