The collaboration-crazy cat has partnered with luxury Parisian brand Balenciaga on a collection of accessories with the classic Hello Kitty character — and a hefty price tag.
The character, created by Yuko Shimizu in 1974, started out on a coin purse but expanded to decorate everything from skateboards and sneakers to Polaroid cameras and air purifiers.
And now Hello Kitty has hit runways, too. In September, at the Balenciaga’s spring 2020 show, male models toted black, pink and white versions of the brand’s iconic Ville bag, all emblazoned with the unmistakable cartoon cat.
The fashion world loves a good pop culture collaboration these days — see the recent Levi’s hookup with Netflix’s “Stranger Things” — especially when it comes to referencing childhood favorites. Throwback brands such as Good Luck Trolls have made their way from trinkets in children’s rooms to the runway, when they showed up on Moschino’s catwalk in Milan last year.
As for the Balenciaga Hello Kitty collection, the items still have that familiar cute face, but they’re clearly not for toddlers. This medium Ville top-handle bag is for serious fans with bank accounts that can handle a price tag of $2,590.
The collaboration includes other items that are bound to be at least a little more accessible, such as a phone holder, an XXS tote and an XS camera bag.