Microsoft intros clothing line that is absolutely not leftover conference swag

The 'Hardwear' selections include $150 tech trousers you can unzip to turn into shorts

Microsoft is channeling its inner fashionista through an eyewateringly expensive range of clothing it is calling Hardwear, encompassing everything from sweatpants through to caps and t-shirts.

Covered in jaunty slogans and imagery celebrating the world of Microsoft (although we're not particularly keen on going around town with a shirt emblazoned with "It's In You. Not On You") the range can be picked up on the Xbox gear store.

Want some cargo tech pants? That'll be $150. A "Never Not Creating" t-shirt with a suitable pixeled MSPaint icon - $60. Hardwear Sweatpants (ideal for remote working) - $80, and so on.

It's quite a premium over the $29.99 that Microsoft would like for a Halo Infinite Zip-Up hoodie, but what better way to demonstrate your loyalty to the brand than garbing oneself in designer Gavin Mathieu's take on the Microsoft aesthetic?

All told, there are nine items in the collection. "Every piece is intentional," says Microsoft, "and there is meaning behind each item in Hardwear."

As part of the announcement, Gavin Mathieu explained how Microsoft inspired him to be a designer.

We can think of plenty of engineers equally inspired by the company, although possibly more along the lines "surely I can do better than this." Certainly, whenever this hack felt his coding was lacking in quality or performance, firing up Visual SourceSafe was usually a reassuring reminder that things could always be worse.

Microsoft has had a tradition over recent years of slinging out the odd "Ugly Sweater" during the festive season (with the faithful obediently showing them off on social media). We're not sure there is any ironic humor at play here, even if Mathieu said of the infamous Windows XP desktop background (now immortalized in mustard or black fabric) "I grew up with this iconic image as a symbol of potential, opportunity, and hope."

Not words one would usually associate with Windows XP. ®