Nigo pulls another ace out of his sleeve: in his function as the Creative Director of Uniqlo's UT line, he teamed up with renowned artist KAWS for a very special spring release. KAWS has been heavily prolific since his early days, and we the people at Lodown were major fans who turned their admiration into several features. Born Brian Donnelly, the Brooklyn-based artist studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in the early 90s, and then freelanced for animation studios. Having originally ascended from a background in graffiti and skate culture, KAWS has been populating the world with his imagery since the late 90s through paintings, sculptures, graphic design, vinyl toys and prints,. Today, his Companion character is amongst the most recognizable visuals in the world.

And here is the good news for KAWS fans: this May sees him collaborating with Uniqlo on a line of tees, totes, and slippers adorned with his signature motifs. His cartoonish X’s turn into an allover pattern on a t-shirt, while his bubble heart sits cutely on a breast pocket. At only €14.90, it’s by far the most affordable option to own a piece of KAWS’s work yet.

The release in Germany is due to the 2nd of May at UNIQLO's online store or at the Grand Opening at the Berlin Store at Hackescher Markt, on 29th of April with exclusive pieces as well as all other Berlin stores.

Kaws on the colab via vogue usa:

I really enjoy the process of collaborating, and see it as a way to introduce my work to new audiences. I’m very specific about who I choose to collaborate with—it’s guided more by personal taste and instinct than business. I liked focusing on T-shirts, tote bags, and slippers because they are the very basics that one would have at home and outdoors.

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I’ve always been drawn to advertising, and the fashion ads had the best photography, so I naturally gravitated towards them. A lot of the liquor and cigarette companies made great billboards that I also enjoyed painting over in the 90s.

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The one big change that I’ve noticed is the importance of fashion companies to work directly with artists and not just reference the look of a certain artist. One artist that I have always looked up to was Tadanori Yokoo and his collaborations with Yohji Yamamoto. Long ongoing collaborations are the best kind!