by Jin Lovelace, HSM team writer & filmmaker

Lockwood today has evolved tremendously compared to where they started in Home.

Like most developers or artists, they create unique experiences and hope people will be sufficiently intrigued by the artistry and creativity to open up a wallet and make a purchase. Some consumers see the purpose behind every stroke, stitch, and design motif; most pass it off into obscurity to never bother with it again….until it’s completely understood.

Lauded for their unique brand of storytelling through different styles and commodities of fashions, furniture, personal spaces, you name it, Lockwood has, for the most part, done it all — and usually done it first.

From a personal perspective, I was fairly neutral towards Lockwood for a long time. In some respects, I agreed with what most were stating about Lockwood’s first humble offerings: less doesn’t mean more. 

Riddled somewhere in the sea of articles on this site are my thoughts on the skimpy wear and the social spectrum behind the character, behind the avatar. In the era where Diesel’s high-priced articles of clothing would put off anyone who weren’t into the real-life brand name clothing, you could purchase a complete outfit for under roughly $3.00 from Threads. Lockwood’s beginnings were offerings of attire and related commodities that weren’t aesthetically appetizing to the average Home user, at least insofar as I could tell. Remember the colorful Glow Star Galaxy Corsets that you could match with the earlier miniskirts? While they were quite nice at the time, other users felt the clothing was a little too skimpy for their taste.

Though Lockwood’s focus — at that time — on the Sodium brand and the Salt Shooter game (another “first” in Home, for being a free-to-play model) gave impression of priority over fashion, many within the Home community managed to speak loudly — and surprisingly enough, Lockwood listened. I believe that Lockwood had a growing understanding that fashion in Home is a part of the social spectrum. This was extremely important, especially when we’re talking about a consumer demand for quality clothing. Home developers go where the money is, and the fashion scene has been a gold mine for more than half a decade.

One of the defining moments in Home’s fashion history was the release of Lockwood’s high fashion line, Drey. It solidified the developer as one of the primary forces to be reckoned with, and it commanded a lot of attention. Unlike any other fashion line at that time, Drey was consistent. Every week, the fashionistas were at the edge of their seats, waiting to see what was to come from this energetic line. Each update brought a bit more to the table, from thematic styles to the evolutionary accessory items with necklaces and handbags.

Of particular note, Lockwood’s eventual dominance of the Home fashion scene is one of the key events which drove that market segment’s inflationary trend. Gone were cheaply-designed styles that you could purchase from Threads, or through some of Lockwood’s earlier releases, and in came elaborate designs that would conform to your taste and style. So many in Home desire to wear clothing that either connects to them in the real world or wouldn’t disparage their natural character; Drey covered that, and more. It was socially accessible as well as fashionable, and its strong presence and its marketing commanded a lot of attention. Along with certain other events — most notoriously, SCEA’s Gold Suit/Dress bundle — the inevitable tilt towards Home becoming a power-law distribution economy, fueled by social stratification, was inevitable.

This is not a bad thing. It was simply inevitable.

Drey outfit

Thanks to Drey, fashion in Home has definitely gained the attention it deserved, and it opened new doors for the developer to play around with the medium, from the high class and opulent styles from Figment, to the somber and relaxed styles from the new clothing line Foal. However, the line has now expanded into other goods such as fashion poses, furniture items, and even a giftable VIP Room with an assortment of exclusive clothing that your friends will enjoy.

Even more: Lockwood also does anime! We wanted anime and Lockwood listened. We all know that Japanese anime is a major entertainment category in society today, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t view the many avatars that don the anime poses or the Kabuki mask to cosplay one of their favorite characters from popular classics like Naruto, Love Hina, or Bleach. 

HSM’s resident otaku, RadiumEyes, donning a cute anime outfit from Lockwood

Today, I wish to salute this developer personally for not only expanding my wardrobe, but making my fashion machinima and projects outstandingly fun. Lockwood has helped create some of the best moments in Home, and they have earned their success accordingly.

Put simply: if it’s fashion, it’s Lockwood.

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