Once a upon a Hello Kitty,
Hello
Kitty is a sweet, adorable cat who knows how to accessorize an iconic red hair
bow! Unfortunately, that childhood image of Hello Kitty was shattered for most
when the cat news was out of the bag. We all heard the saddening
news that, “Hello Kitty is not a cat.” While curating the kittylicious Japanese
American National Museum’s exhibit, “Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of
Hello Kitty,” anthropologist Christine Yano, who had been studying the Hello Kitty movement, was corrected by Sanrio on her description of Hello
Kitty as a cat. According to Hello Kitty’s creators, Sanrio stated
that Hello Kitty’s real name is Kitty White. She is a little British girl who
ironically owns a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty. The cat-tastrophic news made
everyone cough up a furball and say “what?!”
However, moving on from
that fairy cat-tale, I noticed another popular misconception that had not been
brought up on the cat’s discussion table. Most people believe Hello Kitty is
just for the feminine feline population, but that is completely false and
fishy! During a panel with head designer Yuko Yamaguchi at Hello Kitty Con
2014, she announced that Sanrio’s next ambitious project is to create Hello
Kitty merchandise geared towards the male audience. Is your man “MAN” enough for
Hello Kitty?
For this year’s Valentine’s
Day, Sanrio had launched a Hello Kitty inspired men’s clothing line by
collaborating with the savvy Japanese department store chain Lumine creating
Hello Kitty Men x Lumine Man Shibuya located in the renown pop culture youth
district. Three fashion pieces include a white creamy hooded sweatshirt covered
in signature blue bows, blue opera shoes resembling loafers, and a classic
denim jacket with a subtle bow embedded on the chest. According to Forbes, the
merchandise was released in limited quantities and sold out completely! Japan
does strongly incorporate the kawaii or “cute” culture into their lifestyle so
it is no surprise that many Japanese men would be attracted to this new brand!
Hopefully, Sanrio continues to build on Hello Kitty Men in order to capture the
approval of all male shoppers across the world! Would you kittify your man’s
wardrobe?
It is amazingly
revolutionary that Sanrio is attempting to promote an androgynous image of
Hello Kitty! Sanrio is providing an atmosphere where girls and boys, women and
men are welcome to love her all the same and incorporate Hello Kitty into their
lifestyle in their own unique way so that we may all live happily ever after in
Hello Kitty love!
Meow,
=^.^=
For more kitty info,
Forbes article "Hello Kitty... For Men! But Can Sanrio's New Fashion Line Overcome The Pussy Factor?"
LA Times article "Hello Kitty is not a cat, plus more reveals on before her L.A. tour"
