beautiful people, the Tokyo fashion label known for its rigorous reinterpretations of wardrobe classics, has partnered with Hello Kitty to produce a necklace collection that draws on one of Japan’s most storied ceramic traditions. The pieces will go on sale on June 6.
The collaboration’s conceptual logic is precise: Hello Kitty — arguably the most recognizable character to emerge from Japan’s postwar popular culture — rendered in Kutani-yaki, a ceramic craft originating in Ishikawa Prefecture with a history stretching back to the seventeenth century. The technique is known for its bold five-color palette called gosai, applied with unusual depth and density.
Each of the three necklaces takes formal inspiration from garments central to the beautiful people archive: a riders jacket, a trench coat, and denim. The translation from clothing silhouette to ceramic medallion is not literal but tonal — the heaviness and structure of those pieces finding expression in the weight and finish of the Kutani glaze work.
The necklaces are priced at ¥27,500 (tax included) and will be available at beautiful people flagship stores and online.