If The Alters Had a Wardrobe Mod, It’d Look Like ZA/UM Atelier in Paris
ZA/UM Atelier just crash-landed at Paris Fashion Week with The Alters collection - a cyber-survivalist line fusing gaming weirdness, Gorpcore outerwear and glitch-pattern kimonos. It’s clothing built for alternate timelines, dystopian cities and looting your future self’s wardrobe. A sharp, worldbuilding collision of high fashion and speculative identity play.
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On the 25th of June at Paris Fashion Week, ZA/UM Atelier previewed their newest line – a brooding, cyber-slick collection inspired by the sci-fi survival game of the same title. Developed by 11 Bit Studios, The Alters dropped this June, and this high-concept collaboration between the two studios births a space where gaming’s speculative weirdness and high fashion’s material fetishism collide head-on.
The line seeks to encapsulate the eerie, isolationist world of The Alters, whilst also offering audiences something tactile and familiar – combining contemporary silhouettes with the delicate craftsmanship of traditional Japanese garments. This sharp contrast is seen most strikingly in their lamb kimono: a soft, weighty piece layered with original glitch-pattern motifs and painstaking embroidery dense enough to get lost in.
The collection leans hard into Gorpcore aesthetics, with clear nods to brands like Arc’teryx and Salomon, particularly in its outerwear. The double-layered hoods, featuring contrasting textures of slick tech-nylon and matte wool, evoke Japanese and Korean streetwear’s obsession with utility and mood. What stands out most is the collection’s commitment to functionality: a kind of survivalist street glamour where harsh-weather pragmatism meets RPG costume design. This is the sort of clothing you’d wear when you need to look good looting your own alternate timeline.
On the collaboration, The Alters Game Director Tomasz Kisilewicz stated, “The Alters is a game about who we are – and who we might’ve been. The way we present ourselves to the world – through clothing, expression, or even the smallest personal detail – is deeply tied to the lives we live and the choices we make.”
Speaking specifically about the collection, Kisilewicz added, “This collaboration with ZA/UM Atelier felt like a natural extension of that philosophy – an embodiment of identity through design. We can’t wait to see how our community responds to this fusion.”
Not only is this collection a meeting point of gaming and fashion, but also a masterclass in material contrasts. Pieces like the winter coat and dolly jacket combine heavyweight wool with gleaming nylon, fleece-lined collars, and detachable rainproof covers – outerwear built for a world both digital and devastatingly real. It’s a landscape where natural fibres coexist with synthetic tech, a nod to the collision of analogue memory and futuristic survival.
ZA/UM Atelier’s head, Kristiina Ago, added: “Each member of our collective has deep admiration for the creative work of 11 Bit Studios,” she said. “The Alters’ deep and sometimes painful journey of ‘self’ implored us to dive into the texture, technique, utility, and storytelling that define Jan Dolski’s personal style. Our Paris Fashion Week exhibition is the culmination of two years of design exploration. We are extremely honoured to have been entrusted with extending The Alters experience into the world of fashion.”
The line clearly has a desire to channel the values of The Alters, seeking to expand upon its themes of discovery and sense of self through innovative design. The work of talented game developers with designers who are willing to experiment has culminated in a collection that actively wants to explore and push boundaries – perhaps even somewhat like worldbuilding.
ZA/UM Atelier’s twin company, ZA/UM Studio, is also an independent game developer. It’s best known for its award-winning RPG Disco Elysium, which also received its own clothing line. Like The Alters line, the unisex collection inspired by Disco Elysium reflects the characters, themes and aesthetics of the game, producing high-quality original products with carefully selected fabrics.
ZA/UM Atelier’s Paris Fashion Week debut and first major studio collaboration marks an electric, genre-hopping step for the label. More than a cross-industry collab, this is a project that asks audiences to consider what it means to wear your identity, to dress your alternate selves, and to fold virtual worlds into your real one.
On the 25th of June at Paris Fashion Week, ZA/UM Atelier previewed their newest line – a brooding, cyber-slick collection inspired by the sci-fi survival game of the same title. Developed by 11 Bit Studios, The Alters dropped this June, and this high-concept collaboration between the two studios births a space where gaming’s speculative weirdness and high fashion’s material fetishism collide head-on.
The line seeks to encapsulate the eerie, isolationist world of The Alters, whilst also offering audiences something tactile and familiar – combining contemporary silhouettes with the delicate craftsmanship of traditional Japanese garments. This sharp contrast is seen most strikingly in their lamb kimono: a soft, weighty piece layered with original glitch-pattern motifs and painstaking embroidery dense enough to get lost in.
The collection leans hard into Gorpcore aesthetics, with clear nods to brands like Arc’teryx and Salomon, particularly in its outerwear. The double-layered hoods, featuring contrasting textures of slick tech-nylon and matte wool, evoke Japanese and Korean streetwear’s obsession with utility and mood. What stands out most is the collection’s commitment to functionality: a kind of survivalist street glamour where harsh-weather pragmatism meets RPG costume design. This is the sort of clothing you’d wear when you need to look good looting your own alternate timeline.
On the collaboration, The Alters Game Director Tomasz Kisilewicz stated, “The Alters is a game about who we are – and who we might’ve been. The way we present ourselves to the world – through clothing, expression, or even the smallest personal detail – is deeply tied to the lives we live and the choices we make.”
Speaking specifically about the collection, Kisilewicz added, “This collaboration with ZA/UM Atelier felt like a natural extension of that philosophy – an embodiment of identity through design. We can’t wait to see how our community responds to this fusion.”
Not only is this collection a meeting point of gaming and fashion, but also a masterclass in material contrasts. Pieces like the winter coat and dolly jacket combine heavyweight wool with gleaming nylon, fleece-lined collars, and detachable rainproof covers – outerwear built for a world both digital and devastatingly real. It’s a landscape where natural fibres coexist with synthetic tech, a nod to the collision of analogue memory and futuristic survival.
ZA/UM Atelier’s head, Kristiina Ago, added: “Each member of our collective has deep admiration for the creative work of 11 Bit Studios,” she said. “The Alters’ deep and sometimes painful journey of ‘self’ implored us to dive into the texture, technique, utility, and storytelling that define Jan Dolski’s personal style. Our Paris Fashion Week exhibition is the culmination of two years of design exploration. We are extremely honoured to have been entrusted with extending The Alters experience into the world of fashion.”
The line clearly has a desire to channel the values of The Alters, seeking to expand upon its themes of discovery and sense of self through innovative design. The work of talented game developers with designers who are willing to experiment has culminated in a collection that actively wants to explore and push boundaries – perhaps even somewhat like worldbuilding.
ZA/UM Atelier’s twin company, ZA/UM Studio, is also an independent game developer. It’s best known for its award-winning RPG Disco Elysium, which also received its own clothing line. Like The Alters line, the unisex collection inspired by Disco Elysium reflects the characters, themes and aesthetics of the game, producing high-quality original products with carefully selected fabrics.
ZA/UM Atelier’s Paris Fashion Week debut and first major studio collaboration marks an electric, genre-hopping step for the label. More than a cross-industry collab, this is a project that asks audiences to consider what it means to wear your identity, to dress your alternate selves, and to fold virtual worlds into your real one.
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