Yohji Yamamoto

The new line will simply be called Kitty’s, perhaps as a nod to Yamamoto’s own line, Y’s. 


Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto’s signature style typically involves a lot of the colour black, straight lines and coat-guarding shapes meant to hide a woman’s body so as to let the garments speak for themselves. 

Probably the last thing one sees him working on is anything to do with Hello Kitty and all things pink but that is exactly what’s happening with his latest collaboration with Sanrio. 

News broke that the Tokyo and Paris-based designer has teamed up with Hello Kitty’s parent company to launch a new fashion line starring the cartoon character. It will simply be called Kitty’s, perhaps as a nod to Yamamoto’s own line, Y’s. 

Yamamoto and his team will be seeing to the product development, production and branding whilst Sanrio will manage the character presentation, store management and the sales side of things. Store openings have also been ironed out, with two announced, one for as soon as 25 March in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district and the other on 2 April in Osaka. 

So far, pieces confirmed to be on sale are T-shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts and jackets that will all be, needless to say, adorned with Hello Kitty and her friend My Melody. There are plans to expand the product line further to include backpacks, pouches, baseball caps and iPhone cases.

This latest collaboration is only one of many efforts that is putting Hello Kitty back in the limelight recently. Nendo has recently released a line of shirts for men also featuring Hello Kitty, following the announcement of a Hello Kitty-themed hotel in Japan.  

 

(Photo: Yohji Yamamoto) 

 

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