Naomi Osaka's Takashi Murakami Racket Collab Is a Big Flex
Naomi Osaka is without a doubt one of the coolest athletes ever, and now she's revealed a collaboration with Takashi Murakami and Yonex, which features both a tennis racket as well as a matching bag. Talk about court style.
Osaka's venture into fashion and design goes way back. The 23-year-old has already become a Louis Vuitton ambassador, starred in a campaign for sacai x Nike, and has graced the cover of Vogue, Sports Illustrated, TIME, and of course, Highsnobiety's own FRONTPAGE. She's quickly become a style icon and a role model for young athletes around the world, putting an emphasis on mental health and speaking openly about some of the struggles she's faced, most recently choosing not to participate in post-match interviews with resulted in her having to pay a massive fine.
The collaboration with Takashi Murakami features the artist's recognizable pink smiley face flowers, and the Yonex EZONE racket sees a contrasting orange handle wrap, and is finished off with "NAOMI" branding on the frame. The matching bag features the same design, as well as a small bear cartoon figure holding Murakami's rainbow flower.
Naomi Osaka is set to debut the new racket at the upcoming US Open at the end of the month. There's yet no information as to when the collaboration will be available to the general public, but we're expecting updates as the tournament gets closer. If you hadn't considered picking up tennis before, you'll definitely want to now.