Hello Kitty Men; Unveiling 12 Items in Collaboration with 6 Tokyo Men's Brands

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Oct 26, 2015, 01:00 ET

TOKYO, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hello Kitty in 2014, Sanrio Co., Ltd. launched the "Hello Kitty Men" project based on the concept of "Hello Kitty for men." This fall, we are excited to reveal this new side to Hello Kitty which is not simply cute, having implemented a special collaboration with six Tokyo men's brands - Undercover, Sise, Jam Home Made, Dresscamp, Patchy Cake Eater and Yoshio Kubo - to catch the attention of fashion conscious men. The reception party on Friday, October 16, saw an excited gathering of around 500 fashion-related people.

(Photo: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201510224858/ )

Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi told the reception party, "In the 40 years since Hello Kitty was born, the character has been thought of as something that is just for girls, but now we hear from men in their 20s and 30s who don't view it as particularly 'girly.' We've also received requests from high school boys who've been brought up by mothers who are Hello Kitty fans and have gotten used to the character as part of their lives, asking us to make items to suit their style.

Looking toward the next generation, I think we must have fans among men as well as women. Since I'm a woman, it's difficult for me to always know what men want, so I'm delighted that we've been able to collaborate with all these wonderful people. It was quite a challenge to design Hello Kitty with men in mind, and I'm really satisfied with how well all of these collaboration items manage to express the various brand colors. Listening to the reactions from the men who attended this event, it's fascinating to hear so much interest in these unique items.

We hope to work with many different people from now to create items that men will want. Just like we've been nurturing Hello Kitty for the past 40 years, we plan for Hello Kitty Men to be around for the next 40 years. Our aim is to create a whole Hello Kitty Men world, incorporating not just fashion but art and various other fields."

Video1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unGYLjinCS0

Video2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIf-ca-wBzY

URL: http://zozo.jp/men-shop/zozospot/

SOURCE Sanrio Company, Ltd.