Don’t call it just kidult! Yesterday the trend was: to revitalize classic cartoon characters from our childhood, no matter if it was fast-fashion or haute couture, the mission was a nostalgia effect . People just longed to have their memories refreshed and to proudly wear a pop-iconic piece, but today is no longer enough. Now the must is to deconstruct, redesign and above all reinvent the classics through the creativity of artists.
We have already seen several examples of this trend, for example a very unusual Hello Kitty reworked tanks to the male vision of Nendo, the Pink Panther redesigned by Mori Chack or included in a Jeff Koons’ work or more recently, the black Snoopy by KAWS for Uniqlo. Always on the edge, Uniqlo with its countless capsule collection, has given proof of how licensing is never an easy or boring business.
Research, exclusiveness, and unusual treatments are the elements which make the difference between a mere brand slapping and e brand collaboration.
Yesterday, during a special event in the 5th Ave flagship store in New York, Uniqlo presented the new collection of T-shirts dedicated to Doraemon as seen by the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
The unmistakable graphics of the superflat world of Murakami perfectly blend with the characters created by Fujiko F. Fujio, to give life to an alluring colourful universe. The main visual for this special collection is Murakami’s work “Anna koto iina dekitara iina”, (from the anime theme song, meaning ‘this sort of thing is good, I wish I could do it.’), created for THE DORAEMON EXHIBITION TOKYO 2017, which invited 28 artists and groups to present artworks capturing memories of the robot-cat dorayaki lover coming from the future.
The capsule also includes some original designs from the manga declined for men, women and children. The collection, currently available exclusively in the New York store, will be available from May 10 only in other selected stores and online. To complete the limited edition, at the price of USD 29.90, a plush of Doraemon customized by Murakami, which will be available only on Uniqlo online shop and in New York from May 24, a real collector’s item. Indeed, if you missed the “meet and greet” event with the artist in New York, (who signed the collection’s preview pieces), don’t worry! You can already browse online the Doraemon plush toys signed by Murakami, available starting from USD 360.
For those who still don’t know about Takashi Murakami, we highlight a couple of articles on his most famous collaborations like: Luis Vuitton, Vans, and Frisk. Last but not least, his collaboration with Virgil Abloh’s brand, Off-White. The “tote bags” of the collaboration were exhibited at the Gagosian Gallery in London.