Highlights
- UNIQLO has released a Studio Ghibli-themed collection of clothing, but surprisingly, it is not available in Japan or the USA first. It has been released exclusively in Thailand and Singapore as a tribute to Thai designer Kanyada Phatan, who collaborated on the designs and is a regular contributor to Studio Ghibli magazine Neppu.
- This collection is one of the largest anime collections UNIQLO has ever released, featuring iconic graphic shirts in Phatan's bright and colorful art style. It includes shirts and long-sleeved shirts, as well as exclusive button-up shirts, mini shoulder bags, and socks inspired by different Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke.
- While the collection is currently available online in Thailand and Singapore, it is likely to be released in Japan, the USA, and other countries due to the popularity of Studio Ghibli films. UNIQLO hopes that this collection will pave the way for more unique items in future anime collaborations.
Japanese fashion brand UNIQLO has really been making some great anime-themed clothing lately, bringing affordable otaku clothes to people not only in Japan but abroad as well. It comes as no surprise that the clothing line is finally doing a Studio Ghibli-themed collection - the bigger surprise is that it took this long. But what is truly shocking is that the collection is not releasing in Japan first, and not even in the USA.
That's right, UNIQLO's first Studio Ghibli collection is not coming to Japan - at least not at first. Instead, it has released in Thailand and Singapore exclusively! You may be wondering why, but there is actually a good reason. Often, UNIQLO's different t-shirts are designed by a specific artist. This time, the Studio Ghibli collection has been made with Thai designer Kanyada Phatan. Phatan is a regular contributor to the Studio Ghibli magazine Neppu, and the designs being on sale in Thailand first pays homage to her home country.
The collection by Phatan is massive, one of the largest anime collections that UNIQLO has ever released. Typically, there are only t-shirts and long-sleeved shirts, and nothing truly special. And there are UNIQLO's iconic graphic shirts in this collection as well, all in Phatan bright, colorful art style. Some of the Ghibli movies featured on these shirts are My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, two of the most famous titles.
The Studio Ghibli collection is special, though, and also has a few exclusive products that UNIQLO does not usually feature in their collaborations. These include three button-up shirts, from My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke. The first has a motif of the catbus, the second of the cute soot sprites, and the third of the Kodama, the forest spirits.
There are also three mini shoulder bags, with the catbus and Totoro himself from My Neighbor Totoro, and the soot sprites from Spirited Away. And finally, there are two cute pairs of socks with the soot sprites as well! Castle in the Sky fans can also enjoy a cool t-shirt featuring the iconic robot, and Kiki's Delivery Service gets a pink pocketed t-shirt with a tiny Jiji peeking out of the pocket.
It is very likely that the UNIQLO Studio Ghibli collection will move to Japan, and likely the US and beyond as well considering the popularity of the films both in their home country and internationally. If you absolutely cannot wait for them to come to your country, though, you can already order them online from the Thai or Singapore online stores. We hope that some of the unique items in the Studio Ghibli collection pave the way for more than just t-shirts in future UNIQLO anime collaborations, too!
Source: SoraNews24