Uniqlo has announced a KAWS collaboration launching a new UT T-shirt collection plus art book.
I’m pleased to be exclusively launching my new Phaidon Contemporary Artist Series book with my longtime partner UNIQLO,
To celebrate the occasion, I designed a small capsule collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts that will be available for a limited time. I hope you enjoy the collection!
Brian Donnelly aka KAWS.
The designs of the T-shirts and sweatshirts in the collection feature KAWS’ signature COMPANION and BFF characters, with the latter in bright pink, as well as the artist’s iconic XX motif. Both the T-shirts and sweatshirts will be available in unisex adults’ and kids’ sizes, featuring a total of 5 different designs.
To mark the collaboration, Uniqlo will be customising some of their largest outlets with KAWS and his characters.
KAWS Art Book
Phaidon is publishing the art book by KAWS which will be the latest addition to the publisher’s acclaimed Contemporary Artist Series. The KAWS Art Book will be available for £39.95 and the general sales are scheduled to start on 22nd September 2023. The book was produced by Dan Nadel is a writer and curator based in Brooklyn, Thomas Crow is Rosalie Solow Professor of Modern Art at New York University. Clare Lilley Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Jason Schmidt a photographer based in New York.
Limited Edition Gifts
In addition, Uniqlo will also be offering various limited-edition gifts for customers who purchased the art book and UT T-shirt collection. Customers who simultaneously purchase the art book and at least 1 UT collection T-shirt or sweatshirt will receive 1 free shoulder bag that features the book’s cover on the front and KAWS’ iconic XX motif embroidered on the back.
There is a limit of 1 shoulder bag per customer and will only be available while stocks last.
Additionally, customers who purchase 2 or more items from the KAWS UT collection are eligible to receive a special sticker.
At stores, Uniqlo will hand out a random sticker out of 3 available designs, on a first-come, first-served basis to customers who purchased 2 or more items from KAWS’ collection.
KAWS x Uniqlo available from the 8th of September, globally at Uniqlo stores & uniqlo.com/kawsut2023
About the artist
KAWS engages audiences beyond the museums and galleries in which he regularly exhibits. His prolific body of work straddles the worlds of art and design to include paintings, murals, graphic and product design, and large-scale sculptures. Over the last two decades KAWS has built a successful career with work that consistently shows his formal agility as an artist, as well as his underlying wit, irreverence, and affection for our times. His refined graphic language revitalizes figuration with both big, bold gestures and playful intricacies.
KAWS often appropriates and draws inspiration from pop culture animations, forming a unique artistic vocabulary across mediums. Admired for his larger-than-life sculptures and hardedge paintings that emphasize line and color, KAWS’ cast of hybrid cartoon characters are the strongest examples of his exploration of humanity. As seen in his collaborations with global brands, KAWS’ imagery possesses a sophisticated humor and reveals a thoughtful interplay with consumer products. With their broad appeal, KAWS’ artworks are highly sought-after by collectors inside and outside of the art world, establishing him as a uniquely prominent artist and influence in today’s culture.
KAWS (b. 1974, Jersey City, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, New York) has exhibited extensively in renowned institutions, including solo exhibitions at – Serpentine Gallery, London, United Kingdom (2022); Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2021); The Brooklyn Museum, New York (2021); The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (2019); Fire Station, Qatar Museums, Doha, Qatar (2019); Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Michigan (2019), Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, Missouri (2017); Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas (2016) which traveled to the Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China (2017); Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Longside Gallery, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (2016); The Brooklyn Museum, New York (2015); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Málaga, Spain (2014); Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas (2013); Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia (2013); High Art Museum, Atlanta, Georgia (2011); and Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Connecticut (2011).
