For the Year of the Dragon, Fendi Made Pokémon Luxury
Though Pokémon collaborations had peaked? Think again, because the Japanese franchise has just revealed its latest co-release alongside Fendi and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment.
Pokémon, which has been on something of collaborative rampage this past year, can boast names like Daniel Arsham, Tiffany, Clarks, and COMME des GARÇONS as just a few of its more recent partners. Impressive reading, sure, not least when you remember that Pokémon produces, effectively, video games and cartoons for kids. Makes ya think, huh.
Nevertheless, Pokémon’s latest collaboration alongside Fendi, Kim Jones (Fendi's womenswear director), and Hiroshi Fragment is taking things up a notch as the collab-centric Japanese designer reworks a slew of signature Fendi pieces with a cheeky Poké twist for a collection designed to celebrate the year of the dragon.
The capsule — which arrives as the latest instalment of Jones' “Friends of Fendi” project, a collaborative initiative that sees Fendi team up with various designers for one-off drops — features a handful of dragon-type Pokémon on Fendi classics like the Peekaboo, the Shopper, and the Baguette, each of which has also been given a subtle FRGMT spin on top of all the Dragonites and Dratinis.
“Our bag shapes are a logo themselves; they are so representative of the House,” explains Silvia Venturini Fendi, Fendi Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear. “It’s a living history that Hiroshi [Fujiwara] adds to with both FRGMT and Pokémon; he’s taken our handbags and made them into mini pop monuments.”
The Fendi x Frgmt x Pokémon collection — which will be available at Fendi boutiques from January 4, 2024 — also includes T-shirts and hoodies, as well as jewlery which including soft chain bracelets and necklaces that come equipped with a neat openable Poké Ball charm.
“When Kim asks me to work on a project together, I have no reason to say no,” adds Fujiwara.
“I very much enjoyed working with Kim again, and this time also with Silvia. It was a true honor to work with the house of FENDI, a traditional brand with outstanding craftsmanship. Grateful for this opportunity.”
On top of the hefty collaborative bag, accessories, and apparel collection, Fendi, Fragment, and Pokémon are also releasing a digi-capsule on Pokémon GO.
This means that while you might not want to grab anything from the collection IRL for yourself, it doesn't mean that you can't obtain a few digital avatar items instead. After all, digi currency is all the rage nowadays, right?
While this might be the first Pokémon has ever teamed up with Fendi, it isn't the first luxury label-cartoon crossover.
Earlier this year LOEWE brought its super popular Studio Ghibli collaboration to a close with a Howl's Moving Castle release, that following two similar drops based around Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, each of which flew off the shelves and appeared on resell sites in no time at all.
This – alongside proving that luxury fashion can be fun – is also a clear indication that when executed thoughtfully and with purpose, tongue-in-cheek high-end collaborations can really work, too.
For Fendi, Fragment and Pokémon, though, this is a one-off. That being said, considering how well similar collaborative endeavours have gone, including LOEWE x Studio Ghibli, I wouldn't be too surprised to see this collab rear its head again sooner or later.
