The Animated Aesthetic: Our Favourite Anime and Fashion Collaborations
Over the last two decades, anime has gone from a niche interest to a multi-billion dollar industry with global impact. During this time, fashion labels have tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, collaborating with anime creators in various ways. From Loewe backpacks with hand-painted Totoros on them to the robot-like silhouettes of Undercover’s padded jackets, these are some of our favourites.
Gucci x Doraemon
First serialised in 1969, Doraemon follows the eponymous robot cat and the ten-year-old boy he was sent back in time to help. Gucci collaborated with this beloved anime to create a capsule collection of knitwear, hoodies, scarves, and bags. The legendary Italian fashion house is no stranger to integrating anime into their campaigns, having previously commissioned Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki to create illustrations for them.
Supreme x AKIRA
Akira is arguably the most influential anime movie ever made. Exploring a dystopian Neo-Tokyo, it tells a story about psychic children, biker gangs, and shadowy government organisations using hand-drawn animation that looks just as good as it did back in 1988. With these hard-boiled aesthetics, it makes perfect sense that streetwear legend Supreme would create a collection of jackets, jerseys, and parkas emblazoned with panels from the manga in order to pay homage to the work.
Coach x Naruto
Michael B. Jordan has made it no secret that he’s a massive anime fan. His collaboration with Coach was entirely themed around Naruto, the story of a hidden ninja village and a young boy with a demonic fox sealed within him. The collection used iconography from the show in a subtle way that made it easy for fashion-loving fans to show off.
Loewe x Studio Ghibli
Even those who don’t consider themselves anime fans have probably watched at least one of Studio Ghibli’s films. Spanish fashion house Loewe collaborated with legendary Japanese animators to create clothing inspired by films like Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. The dreamy aesthetics of Ghibli films proved to be the perfect match for Loewe, resulting in a collection that sold out almost immediately.
Undercover x Neon Genesis Evangelion
It’s no surprise that Japanese fashion houses would want to collaborate with anime creators but Undercover’s Jun Takahashi took it to the next level when he created a collection in collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion, a show renowned for its profound philosophical themes and reinvention of the mecha genre. Takahashi is known for infusing his designs with anarchist themes and more profound ideas, so this partnership seemed like a natural step forward. The collection featured puffer jackets and gloves that take design elements from the giant robots known as much as well as knitwear displaying ominous imagery from the show itself. All of the pieces from this collaboration are highly sought after by fans of the anime and fashion collectors alike.
Words by James Nash for Letterhead