by: syzygees

Over the years, they’re something that we’ve grown up with, grown accustomed to as we continue on doing our usual routine: getting up, going out, doing whatever you have to do, going home, and sleeping again. It’s just a simple routine, and after a while it gets a little dull. But there are times that you see something a little different, something that your eyes aren’t used to. It’s those little things that introduces a color that feels like we haven’t seen it in a while. Randomly it pops out too: maybe in the covers of school notebooks for elementary students or as that car you see along EDSA once in a blue moon. And maybe you don’t even notice them until you pass them by and think, “oh, that brings me back.”

What I think that people love the most out of the Sanrio characters is the sense of nostalgia that you get when you look at them, or even if you don’t fully remember what they look like. 

You see a little frog with bulging eyes and a smile curling his lips. Kerokerokeroppi (or maybe just Keroppi if you don’t have the time) the frog says sends you a small wave and happily bounces away after, cheeks as bright as the reds in his usual red and white top from seeing a friend he hasn’t heard from in a while. 

In the corner of your eyes you also see a familiar figure, dark and broody, almost as if he’s trying to intimidate someone. That’s not Bad Badtz-Maru’s fault though, he’s just drawn that way. Our resident blank-faced penguin now houses the expression that most people our age have now that we’ve grown a little bit older, but you’d know that the mischievous side of him hasn’t faded away. (Probably hasn’t for you either).

When your focus shifts, you see someone waiting for you. And you don’t even have to be some genius to figure out who it is, especially from the telltale red bow on her left ear that can be seen a mile away. The world hasn’t let us forget about who Hello Kitty is, but it’s always nice to see the infamous cat, even if she’s been everywhere that you can probably think of. 

Speaking of being everywhere: we’ve certainly seen a lot from the Sanrio characters over the past decades. From normal everyday items to stationery to collectibles like toys and figurines, Sanrio hasn’t failed to give us our much needed dose of Hello Kitty and friends. And it seems like they haven’t stopped as Sanrio places their characters among the people through collaborations with notable streetwear and lifestyle brands, sealing the Sanrio name in the streetwear fashion scene from the 2000’s and beyond.

Here are some of the ______ x Sanrio that we think you might have missed:

A. UNDERCOVER

Jun Takashi, dubbed as the father of Japanese streetwear, first did a collaboration with Sanrio to feature Hello Kitty in their t-shirts (as a combination of high fashion and cartoon character) last 2007. 

From then on, the Undercover brand has teamed up with Sanrio for more releases. In 2009, the 35th Anniversary collaboration where the two brands teamed up to create more shirt designs. 

In more recent years, the two brands teamed up once again for the 2016 Undercover x Sanrio Keychains by Medicom Toy featuring Hello Kitty and My Melody designs, along with Undercover’s very own Rebel Bear.

B. BAPE

Matching up Hello Kitty and Baby Milo (BAPE’s own character) is one of the features that BAPE has shown thru their collaborations with Sanrio. Starting from 2005 to their 2014 capsule collections, Valentines collaborations and possible more in the future, we’re just waiting to see where the loveable monkey x kitten duo will take us to next.

C. NYLON

Nylon debuts their collaboration with Sanrio on May 2017 that features shirts, dresses, and jackets of some of their famous characters: Bad Badtz-Maru, Gudetama, the Little Twin Stars, and of course, our favorite British Cat, Hello Kitty.

D. ANTI SOCIAL SOCIAL CLUB

The famous streetwear brands partners up with Hello Kitty for a very bright and very pink set of a hoodie, a shirt, and a baseball cap that were released last year August. 

[Courtesy of: Anti Social Social Club Instagram]

E. LAZY OAF

Hello Kitty goes a little vintage with the 2017 Lazy Oaf x Hello Kitty collection where we’ll see staple pieces of the past (turtlenecks, oversized fits) in classic Hello Kitty design and fashion. 

[Courtesy of: Lazy Oaf via Bustle]

F. STUSSY

For the last line-up of Sanrio brand collaborations, we have Stussy with their Two Part Capsule Collection with the Japanese brand, giving Hello Kitty a little more street cred back in 2009 and 2010. Both collections feature tops and dresses of the character in different scenarios or with quotes that is very on brand for Stussy. 

[Courtesy of: Stussy via Highsnobiety]

And that wraps up the last of Sanrio x Streetwear of the present. It’s very refreshing to see Hello Kitty and the rest of the Sanrio bunch where we least expect them. As the brand continues to branch out this 2019 with new releases from previous collaborations and opening up new ones, we can’t wait to see where the Sanrio Squad pops up next.