I’m Geeking Out Over the New ‘Chainsaw Man’ Uniqlo Shirts
I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point in time, I was trained to get hype about Uniqlo dropping new IP shirts. I noticed it when, about a week ago, Uniqlo’s social media accounts released a very brief teaser, letting the world know that a line of clothing related to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man would be announced shortly. It wasn’t just me, either—the hype from giddy otaku was very real.
Uniqlo, for those who have not spent embarrassing amounts of time of their precious Tokyo getaway cruising their bargain racks (I’ve found $8 pink pants), is a Japanese fast-fashion store. It’s caught on in the US, too—there’s a giant store smack on Fifth Avenue in New York. One of their most easily recognizable collections is called UT, which is basically a staggering amount of pop culture-related graphic tees. And the newest UT collection will be focused on MAPPA’s anime adaption of Chainsaw Man.
The UT line launch a fun and interesting little homage to how big Chainsaw Man is becoming. As someone who became a fan shortly before the anime started (thanks to the excellence of the manga), it’s been interesting to watch the slow proliferation of figures. Then pop-up events and stores and cafes in Tokyo. Even in the US, there’s been a few stray official fast-fashion Chainsaw Man t-shirts available at stores like Forever 21 and, naturally, Hot Topic. But as far as I know, Uniqlo’s is the first line of shirts.
The designs themselves are also notable for largely pulling from Chainsaw Man‘s storyboard art. A lot of the art selected was featured in the Chainsaw Man exhibition which showed in Shibuya, Tokyo earlier this year—a fun little easter egg for those lucky enough to have gone (I did, indeed, go). The shirts themselves were designed by Kosuke Kawamura—a college artist and the creative director of UT since last year.
Despite the teaser and press release coming out today, you’ll have to wait a little while before you can snag these shirts. The Chainsaw Man x Kosuke Kawamura UT line releases on Friday, August 24. Also, a word of caution based on my experiences with the One Piece Film: Red line last year—UT lines like this one, which capitalize on a “hot” property, tend to sell out quick in the US. You might need to be a bit “on it” if you want a t-shirt with Power on it, explaining how you only get along with cats. True story.
(featured image: Uniqlo / Shueisha)
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