THRIFTY AND THRIVING IN THE SIMS 4 HIGH SCHOOL YEARS EXPANSION PACK

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Our players make The Sims every day. They play to express their individualities, interests and aspirations. They inspire us to keep innovating and improving. They’re creators in every sense of the word.

For The Sims™ 4 High School Years Expansion Pack, The Sims and Depop worked with five creative individuals who create and sell clothes on Depop, the fashion marketplace app reshaping the way fashion is made. These sellers collaborated with The Sims to design new original in-game fashion items, which players can purchase for their teen Sims in the game’s local thrift store and boba hangout, ThriftTea. Sims will be able to hype up their favorite to increase the value of the outfit, and earn Simoleons by selling outfits they curate on the new in-game Trendi app, inspired by Depop’s retail platform – and become a “Simfluencer” in the process.

As the ultimate form of self-expression, fashion plays a cosmic role in a teen’s life. These sellers drew inspiration from their IRL Depop stores to create custom pieces for the game. Depop sellers include US-based Bella McFadden (@internetgirl), with her pinstripe capri pants and a custom beaded necklace, and Jeremy Salazar (@happyxloco) who has designed a selection of graffiti-inspired jackets and sweatshirts in his signature style. British sellers Selena Williams (@Selenasshop) and Lapoze McTribouy of Sooki Sooki Vintage (@judaku) have also created items, including Y2K-inspired flared jeans and a red cropped corset, and Australian seller Sha’an D’Antes’ (@furrylittlepeach) illustrated pieces inspired by her IRL collection.

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High School Years will encourage teen Sims to discover their personal style, set trends, and become Simfluencers – all while rocking the unique clothes designed by our featured Depop sellers. These creators inspire people of all ages to express themselves through fashion, and we sat down with Bella, Jeremy, Selena, Lapoze and Sha’an to talk about their passions, inspirations, and pieces created for the game.

Through the Sims, you’re able to be as creative as you want with personal style and fashion. What would your Sim be wearing right now?

Bella: I base my clothing choices completely on mood! Today I’m wearing a camouflage cargo mini skirt, a chopped and screwed thermal top and vintage Le Grand Bleu combat boots. So I’d probably dress my Sim along those lines!

Jeremy: My Sim right now would be wearing bunny slippers, the kitty face shirt I designed for The Sims, ripped jeans and some cool face paint makeup!

Selena: As it’s almost summer here in the UK and the weather is finally heating up, my Sim would be wearing a floral crochet top, paired withvintage denim Levi's shorts, chunky platform sandals, 70s style sunglasses and a cute colourful bag.

Sha’an: Definitely a primary coloured fit or something monochrome - I love a tonal ensemble!

Lapoze: My Sim would definitely be wearing a pair of bell bottom jeans, a crop top and some massive high heeled boots. She’s definitely a 70s type of girl.

Why is personal style and fashion important to you?

Bella: Dressing up in the morning is the most vital part of my day. It’s a reflection of who I want to be represented as – I correlate fashion with confidence.

Jeremy: Personal style and fashion is important to me because it's a reflection of the way my heart beats. I can't help but express it.

Selena: Personal style and fashion is important to me and a way for me to express myself; it's a way for me to show my personality through clothing. I also feel that when I'm wearing a banging outfit, it can instantly change my mood. It can make me feel happy and confident and ready for anything.

Sha’an: Personal style is an amazing opportunity to let people know who you are before they actually speak to you. I love being able to express myself every morning when I'm putting together an outfit!

Lapoze: Personal style and fashion is so important to me, because it gives me power to present myself in the way that I want to, to the world. People learn a little bit about my personality in the clothes that I wear and I love that.

Tell us more about the pieces you created for the game, how did your personal style inform these items?

Bella: I am BEYOND hyped on the pieces! There’s going to be two pieces from my personal line, iGirl: our Sin Skirt which is a Vinyl Micro Mini Skirt with D-Rings, and our classic iGirl Pendant translated to Simlish! I also cooked up a very Y2K Mall Goth pair of Pinstripe Capris.

Jeremy: The pieces I created for the game were all based off of my spray painted characters I use on my clothing like flowers, ice creams and a kitty with smiley faces in them. My personal style inspired these pieces with playfulness and bright colors. The clothing designs I chose for The Sims are like a fantasy but you can wear them in real life.

Selena: The pieces I created for the game were based around items of clothing I love! They depict my favourite fashion era; they're colourful and bold which closely represents my own personal style and the overall feel of my vintage shop.

Sha’an: Over the last couple of years I've been releasing limited edition wearables online – starting with tees, and most recently our customised vintage denim campaign with Depop. The clothing we created for The Sims is an extension of the playfulness of those items and my illustrative work, without the limitations of being a real life physical garment!

Lapoze: The pieces that I created for the game, highlight my love for The disco era, but also my fun and care-free take on life. I definitely designed these clothes to induce dopamine.

Your self-expression through art and fashion has inspired many people. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

Bella: A lot of people think Tumblr is dead…but I am walking proof that it is alive and well! I pull inspiration from my favourite blogs on Tumblr CONSTANTLY, which currently consists of archival Mall Goth photos, 2010s Taylor Momsen stage looks, Rob Zombie movie stills and plenty of cursed imagery.

Jeremy: My biggest inspiration is nature and whatever environment I am immersed in. That has been skateboarding culture lately.

Selena: My biggest inspiration has been the two greatest women in my life, my mum and my grandma. I remember even as a kid being in awe of my mum's outfits. I always thought she looked so beautiful and stylish! Even when I look back on pictures of her when she was younger they still inspire me now. My grandmother was also very iconic in her younger years; her outfits were so well put together. When I was around 12, I remember looking through her wardrobe at all her incredible clothes, coats and accessories. I think it's so inspiring to see how confident they were within their own style. I also take inspiration from the people I see around me; I love being in big cities and just people-watching and taking in all the fabulous street style.

Sha’an: I am super inspired by colour and always have been. It's a huge part of my personal style as well as my illustrative work. It all begins with colour for me!

Lapoze: My biggest inspiration are my parents. They both drilled into my brother and I, that we should show off our authentic and creative selves to the world. When I was younger, I would see my mum and dad style each other, even pick hairstyles for each other. Fashion in that sense, is a sort of love language for me.

Do you like to follow trends or have you found your own, individualized style?

Bella: My style changes constantly. Something I’ve learned over the years is to “never say never” to certain clothing articles because one day you’ll probably love it! Back in the day I used to express my hatred for cowboy boots and vests but now I’m 100% a fan! You gotta stay open-minded constantly.

Jeremy: My style has evolved over the years by becoming more confident to not stay in a box of one particular style. I can be many versions of myself through fashion and enjoy the energy it evokes. I try my best to not pay attention to trends but it's impossible with social media, so they end up in my designs and personal styling. So I try to find ways to do it slightly unique to my own taste.

Selena: I found when I was younger and I was still finding my own sense of style I would follow trends as I lacked the confidence to wear clothes that were a little more "out there.” Now I'm older and after exploring and experimenting a lot, I feel like I've finally found my own style. I like to wear things that are going to bring me joy, make me feel confident and allow me to express myself. I also like to change it up as I'm definitely a tomboy at heart, so some days I love to wear jeans, a tee and some chunky Dr Martens. But then the next day you'll catch me in a 70s flowy dress.

Sha’an: I feel like my style lives in the universe I've created with my work – but of course trends and what's available (thrifted or new) can dictate what pieces are available to you so they play a part for sure!

Lapoze: My style has definitely evolved. I was inspired by many subcultures when I was younger, and I am to this day. I get inspiration from 90s skaters, the 70s punk movement and even this new buzzword called “Dopamine Dressing”. I steal like an artist when it comes to my style. What I get inspired by, I add to my own personal style and create a mish mash catered to me.

You’ve created careers for yourselves out of self-expression and creativity. Do you think your Sim would also have a career as an artist or influencer, or would they be doing something completely different?

Bella: My favorite part of The Sims is the fact that you have the opportunity to be someone else. I like giving my Sim a totally different, wacky career path than the one I’ve chosen in real life! I would probably be a scientist.

Jeremy: I think my Sim’s career would be some type of artist, like a musician. I can see them playing classical piano music while looking super edgy.

Selena: One of my dream jobs is to be a full time fashion stylist, working for a big brand like Gucci. My Sim would definitely pursue this career and she'd absolutely smash it!

Sha’an: The best thing about The Sims is that you can live life as a completely different person if you want to. When I play The Sims I like to pick a completely different career than my own, then I ignore my job and usually end up trying to move into another family's mansion!

Lapoze: My Sim would definitely be in the creative industry. I could probably see her being both a photographer and Model. She’s fabulous just like her creator!

These custom pieces from Depop sellers will be available beginning July 28, 2022 in The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack on PC and Mac via Origin™ and Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems. Requires The Sims 4 (sold separately) and all game updates. For PC, see minimum system requirements for the pack.

Join us for a deep dive of The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack on Friday, July 15, 2022 at 11am PDT on Twitch and YouTube.

For more information about The Sims 4, follow @TheSims on Twitter and Instagram, like The Sims on Facebook, and visit TheSims4.com.

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Quelle: YMTS: EP12 Q&A with Depop Creators