Soulland, the Scandinavian brand founded by Silas Adler and Jacob Kampp Berliner, recruited fashion’s favorite feline for its Spring/Summer 2023 collection.
Making her debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week, Hello Kitty, the lovable anthropomorphized cat created by Sanrio, appeared in Soulland’s whimsical new offerings.
Separate sportswear including pink crop tops and matching pants were printed with the graceful creature, complete with her signature red bow. Fusing business and pleasure, a corduroy suit was embroidered with lots of Hello Kitty, accompanied by bright red hearts (casual Friday, anyone?).
The collaboration isn’t the first time Hello Kitty has lived out her couture fantasy. Last December, Blumarine partnered with SSENSE to offer a capsule collection starring the character. Hello Kitty rhinestone chokers and a sequined Hello Kitty butterfly top epitomized early 2000s fashion, quite apt for a brand that has taken Y2K style to the extreme in recent seasons.
And don’t forget Balenciaga’s $2,590 Hello Kitty bag, first unveiled at the house’s Spring/Summer 2020 show.
Kitty has even served as Nike’s muse, inspiring Hiroshi Fujiwara and Steven Smith’s cat-covered Air Prestos, first released in 2004. In May, Nike re-released the shoe along with a capsule of matching apparel.
It’s clear fashion has a soft spot for the ever-popular feline, which apparently might not be a cat at all. In 2014, Sanrio issued a correction in response to a Los Angeles Times article that characterized Hello Kitty as the whiskered animal: “Hello Kitty is not a cat,” the statement began. “She’s a cartoon character. She’s a little girl. She’s a friend. But she’s not a cat. She’s never pictured on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature.”
What?!
Until Sanrio contacts me personally, I refuse to believe that Hello Kitty is a human girl. After all, “fashion’s favorite feline” rolls off the tongue much better than “fashion’s favorite feline, which is actually a girl in a cat costume.”
Source: www.highsnobiety.com