Attire's Identity: Video Games as a Digital Archive of Post-War American Subcultural Fashion

Purpose: The study investigates fashion representation in post-war American mafia culture, analysing protagonist attire to understand power and status expression in this culture. Methodology/Design: The study observed attires from Mafia II by using an analytical approach to identify the attire’s details and specifications and their implication in terms of mafia culture. Findings: The finding reveals an accurate representation of fashion in post-war mafia culture. The casual attires are associated with a lower rank in the mafia family, and the expensive tailored suits are associated with higher ranks in the mafia family. Practical and Social Implications: The finding shows the effectiveness of video games to digitally archive subcultural fashion. It provides a key theme of cultural theory by representing fashion as an instrument of rebellion and myth-making. Originality: The study contributes original insights into the representation of mafia subcultural fashion through attire from video games.