Anime’s Fashion Chokehold
Anime aesthetics and stylistic cues have taken over the fashion industry
Fashion has fallen head over heels for anime. From luxury to streetwear brands, sportswear, vintage, the celeb pop culture flex and everyone in between, the stylistic grip anime has on the industry is heating up.
I’m going to let you in on a secret, I’ve been obsessed with anime since I was a kid. I used to race home from school just to watch Dragon Ball Z before I had to do my homework. And my fascination, bordering on obsession depending on which way you look at it, persists to this day. Which is why I’m ecstatic that the anime chokehold on fashion is only just getting started.
After months of speculation, Nike and NIGO unveiled their first-ever collaboration in the form of Air Force III sneakers and clothes to go with. Anime fans and sneakerheads could jump for joy at the colourful release inspired by the Japanese designer’s favourite childhood TV shows. And if you thought this link-up was going to be a simple cop-and-drop situation, think again. NIGO debuted a mini movie for this release, Escape Force, but taking it one step further he teamed up with Young Thug on a track titled Dope Boy and a music video to accompany it.
As it turns out, anime is infiltrating the music and fashion space in more ways than one. DJ and record producer Steve Aoki is a die-hard anime fan and has been known to roam the streets of Japan manga hunting for first-edition copies. But the anime fangirling didn’t stop there for Aoki. At New York Fashion Week, the multihyphenate creative debuted an SS25 collection in partnership with Dim Mak inspired by Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. It was a feast for the eyes, and the senses, as it brought the bold playful nature of the anime series off of screens and into reality.
While Tekken 8 isn’t exactly an anime you can kick back and watch, the artistic style of the fighting game fits in with anime’s core visuals. And back in the day, early releases of Tekken had me hooked as I played them on my PlayStation. So it came as no surprise to me that the brand on everyone’s lips at the minute, Gentle Monster, released a collection building on the stylistic elements of TEKKEN 8 for the Inferno CS1 sunglasses. Inspired by Devil Kazuya’s horns, the silver structural frames with red mirrored lenses had TikTokers in disbelief — and over on Reddit, netizens on the r/Tekken thread have already labelled them a collector’s piece.
But just in case you thought the fashion anime hype was being shoehorned into one particular look and feel, anime's growing influence on global fashion is clear to see with the rise of designers such as Zahra Omarji. The independent designer blends anime references with her South Asian culture and background, taking elements of franchises such as Sailor Moon to design the Zanny Bunny Jhumka — putting a Desi jewellery spin on a cult fan favourite.
So, all of this goes to show that anime does indeed have fashion in a chokehold, and the industry is buckling at the knees as it salivates over anime’s endless source of aesthetic and style inspiration. I, for one, am all for this. But is the rest of the industry ready and willing to embrace anime with open arms?
The biggest and baddest anime fashion collabs
In the world of high fashion, 2022 proved to be a year of legendary anime collaborations. Jimmy Choo celebrated Sailor Moon’s 30th anniversary by releasing $13,000 knee-high boots covered in 19,000 crystals — very Barbie-coded. And they’re back at it again with a second line of shoes, bags and accessories to be released in October 2024, proving that anime fans are ready to put their money where their mouth is and pay big bucks.
Earlier, in January 2022, Loewe launched an artfully crafted, embroidered collection inspired by Spirited Away, featuring 54 unique shirts, sweaters, and jackets, priced between $450 and $6,400. As much as I wanted something from this iconic link-up, my bank balance couldn’t justify it, but it lives on in my memory. Anyways, this line was a whimsical sequel to Loewe’s My Neighbor Totoro collection from 2021, showcasing how Studio Ghibli’s magic keeps weaving its way into the threads of luxury.
Not to be outdone, Dolce & Gabbana stepped into the ring in April 2022 with a Jujutsu Kaisen collection. Japanese street style met Italian luxury in the form of t-shirts, nylon jackets, and accessories, all while Jujutsu Kaisen director Sunghoo Park illustrated the anime’s main characters dressed in D&G's finest. And the three pop-up stores in Shibuya, Tokyo to accompany the release immersed fans deeper into the throes of this fashionable takeover.
A few years prior Gucci, never one to miss out on a cultural zeitgeist, teamed up with One Piece in 2020 for a lookbook where creator Eiichiro Oda himself drew characters for Gucci’s Fake/Not collection, published in Chinese magazine ELLEMEN. Gucci also tapped into nostalgia with their Lunar New Year Doraemon capsule the following year, spreading the iconic manga character across everything from bags to shoes and shorts.
Meanwhile, in December 2023 Pokémon continued its fashionable evolution with a Friends of FENDI project, celebrating the Year of the Dragon by spotlighting Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite on classic pieces like the Baguette bag and the Peekaboo, a welcome departure from the usual fashion-led Pikachu lineup.
Even sportswear can’t resist the anime allure — Naruto fans were in high spirits when Jordan teamed up with New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson for a collection celebrating the power forward’s love for the ninja-filled universe. In 2022 there was the Jordan Zion 1 x Naruto collection, then in 2023, there was the Jordan Zion 2 x Naruto sneakers, and that same year this three-way partnership focused on a new iteration of the Air Jordan 37.
But why anime, and why now?
Anime may be Japan's cultural export, but it seems that Japanese teens have left the viewing to older generations. A survey by Dream Train Internet Co. shows that teenagers in Japan now rank last in anime viewership across all age groups, as 75% of Japanese people watch anime with middle-aged men leading the pack — who would’ve thought? You’ve guessed correctly, the youth anime fandom is taking a backseat to their elders, who are embracing the medium with gusto.
Across the Pacific, anime fandom is booming in America. According to a Polygon survey, 42% of Gen Z Americans watch anime weekly, 25% of Millennials do the same, while 12% of Gen X and 3% of Boomers are regular anime watchers. What’s more interesting, however, is that anime fans are a diverse crowd: Black Americans make up 17% of the American anime fanbase compared to 13% of the general population, and Asian Americans account for 10%, compared to 6% of the broader population.
But there’s more to it than meets the eye with the overseas anime fandom obsession.
If you’ve ever caught yourself swooning over an anime character, chances are you’re not alone — 44% of anime fans confess to having had a crush on a character at some point. But it’s not just about looks as 65% of anime fans find the genre more emotionally compelling than other forms of media. From deep character development to emotional intensity, anime hits harder than your average soap opera and feels more in tune with the current social mood.
Celebrities, too, are feeling the anime love. Megan Thee Stallion, who has proudly professed her love for Demon Slayer and Black Clover, launched an anime-inspired clothing line with Crunchyroll in 2020. Then we’ve got tennis star Coco Gauff, who’s gone on record during the U.S. Open saying her favourite anime is My Hero Academia. Ariana Grande has a Studio Ghibli inspired tattoo, Israel Adesanya regularly uses Naruto references while cage fighting, Keanu Reeves is no stranger to anime’s vivid imagery and Michael B. Jordan knows the deal when it comes to all things anime.
So, while Japanese teens may be stepping back from anime, the rest of the world, from the general population of American anime fans to musicians, actors, and everyone in between, is fully embracing it, giving global visibility and a renewed appeal to this once niche genre.
Fashions ongoing anime love affair
Once the domain of otaku — passionate fans often stereotyped for their intense devotion — anime has long since shed its niche label to become a cultural powerhouse, influencing everything from art to modern entertainment. Its impact on fashion is undeniable, and over time fashion has come to mimic anime aesthetics and vice versa.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Sailor Moon. When the Sailor Scouts first arrived on Western TV screens, they set serious fashion goals. Crop tops, bold colour-blocking, preppy sweaters, and waistcoats — you name it, the Sailor Moon girlies were doing it. They served a vision of ’90s style that’s alive in today’s Y2K revival. But Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi didn’t just capture this fashion era; she wove high fashion into the series itself. There were nods to Mugler’s 1992 fall collection in Sailor Saturn’s black-bow ensemble and Princess Serenity’s Dior-inspired Palladium gown.
Then there's Ai Yazawa’s Nana, the ultimate punk-goth muse. Nana Osaki, one of the two lead characters, rocked Vivienne Westwood-inspired outfits as a true rule breaker should. From corset bustiers to ripped stockings and tartan blazers, Nana’s look was punk perfection. With her wine-red lips and smudged eyeshadow, she embodied the anti-fashion fashion aesthetic.
And of course, we can't forget the Akira red biker jumpsuit. This futuristic getup has since become a streetwear legend, sparking reinterpretations from Comme des Garçons and Supreme, who have plastered the imagery of Akira onto their clothes and accessories. Even 30 years after its release, Akira’s influence on fashion is still revving at full throttle, proving that anime-adjacent fashion is more than a passing trend.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you can't have missed the comically oversized red boots from MSCHF that took the internet by storm. These viral kicks are a direct nod to Astro Boy, and they generated enough buzz that anime fans clamoured for a pair even before their official release. And there’s Jeremy Scott, who turned the runway into a whimsical anime kingdom with his Anime Antoinette collection for Moschino’s Fall 2020 show. Imagine Marie Antoinette meets Tokyo — cake, decadence, and a healthy dose of manga.
Louis Vuitton isn’t one to sit on the sidelines either; their Spring/Summer 2021 menswear collection featured oversized, inflatable figures inspired by the manga illustrations of American multi-hyphenate Reggieknow. And in October 2018, Balenciaga joined in on the anime fun by collaborating with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, featuring main character Bruno Bucciarati in a look from Balenciaga’s 2018 Fall collection on a magazine cover.
Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs is the poster boy for the light academia aesthetic with his vintage vibes and muted colour palette. On the flip side, Kaneki Ken from Tokyo Ghoul embodies all things cyberpunk, blending futurism and Y3K with gothic undertones. This subcultural anime fashion renaissance is what dreams are made of — my dreams, to be specific.
The future of anime fashion
The worlds of fashion and anime have long shared a cosy little corner, but now they're throwing a party that even the most exclusive maisons can't resist. With a shift in gears, the fashion elite has rolled out the red carpet for the eclectic universe of anime, where fantastical plots and vibrant visuals collide with high fashion. From runway shows to capsule collections, manga and anime-inspired fashion have become the lifeblood of coveted releases.
Anime’s ascension into pop culture isn’t a recent phenomenon; we all know this by now. Its fusion with Western sensibilities began in earnest during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it’s now an established part of the wider pop culture sphere.
Now, it’s even gracing our TikTok feeds, where users can emulate anime fashion and aesthetics without having to dive headfirst into the full cosplay rabbit hole. Just a quick scroll through hashtags like #animeaesthetic which has over 56,900 posts or ‘Anime Inspired Outfits’ which has over 79 million posts, and you’ll find endless inspiration for looks that capture the essence of anime characters.
Brands are also getting in on the action. Take Balmain's partnership with Pokémon, which proves that even luxury fashion knows the value of a good nostalgia trip. Uniqlo and Adidas have jumped aboard the anime express, collaborating with classics like Dragon Ball Z. Meanwhile, the Japanese lifestyle label Onitsuka Tiger celebrated its 75th anniversary with an official Astro Boy collection that tapped into the renewed enthusiasm for beloved anime franchises.
New Era has taken a clever spin on things, curating a versatile lineup of headgear and bags inspired by one of Studio Ghibli's masterpieces, Spirited Away. And once again, Naruto: Shippuden has sparked a series of releases with ASICS. Their latest drop? A GEL-NYC collaboration aptly named “FINAL ARC”. I instantly added these to my wishlist. Maybe a fellow sneakerhead can hook a girl up?
When all is said and done, fashion’s fascination with anime attracts two distinct fanbases: those loyal to fashion brands who are positively drooling in an attempt to snag the latest must-have collection, and the anime connoisseurs who can’t get enough of their favourite shows and want to embed them further into their lifestyle. It’s a marriage of two-dimensional anime culture and three-dimensional fashion that keeps everyone coming back for more.
If you're vibing with this newsletter, subscribe to get weekly doses of fashion goodness straight in your inbox. It’s worth it, I promise.
Want to get in touch?
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn