Houston – Takashi Murakami’s art has adorned luxury items of the best fashion houses and album covers of superstar musicians.
Now, the famous contemporary Japanese artist has associated with Major League Baseball for an exclusive collaboration of goods to celebrate the Tokyo series next month.
The Takashi Murakami X MLB Tokyo series collection Presented by complex It was announced on Thursday and launched on March 7 before the series between the Dodgers and the puppies that open the MLB season in the Tokyo Dome from March 18 to 19.
“I think this new collection is based on historical friendship between Japan and the United States,” Murakami said. “I feel lucky to be able to work together with complex, MLB and highlight Shohei Ohtani, an outstanding athlete who left Japan and has made a name on the global stage. This is something that I am overwhelmed with gratitude to being part. “
Murakami, initially known for paintings and sculptures, saw his popularity explode when combined with Louis Vuitton in 2002 for a line of bags with his work of art. The bags, which presented their iconic motifs of flowers and extravagant characters in bright colors, quickly became some of the most coveted articles of the brand.
Often known as the Andy Warhol in Japan, he created the cover of several hip hop and rap albums, especially the successful 2007 album by Kanye West “Gradation”.
“This collaboration with a world -renowned artist in Takashi Murakami is one of the special projects that continue our commitment to grow the presence of the major baseball leagues in Japan through key marketing initiatives,” said MLB Marketing director, Uzma Rawn Dowler, to The Associated Press. “It allows us to involve existing baseball fans and at the same time extend our reach to the new casual fans and have an impact outside the stadium. Working with a Japanese artist from Takashi Murakami’s caliber also allows us to celebrate Japan’s deep connection with baseball while showing baseball fashion as a powerful form of cultural narration. “
The Dodgers and Cubs clothing collection will include Nike T -shirts, hoods and t -shirts with Murakami flower motifs. These shirts will only be made for a handful of stars of both teams. For the Dodgers, they will be available for the two -way Ohtani star, Japanese fellow Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Mookie Betts campocorto and the first Freddie Freeman base. The puppies of the puppies will be available for the Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, the gardener Seiya Suzuki, who is also Japanese, and the Dansby Swanson campocorto.
The line also presents fabrics of new ones were adorned with murakami flowers and adjustable tapas, baseball balls and rawlings gloves and victims, all decorated with the artist’s striking creations.
Two limited edition slides of the Ohana Hatake Footwear brand in Marakami will also be available with the logo of each team and its motive of flowers.
A game of 25 Topps X Murakami MLB Tokyo Series series that presents their works of art and star players of both teams is also included in the collaboration. The selected card assemblies will include autographs, highlighted by a Dual 1 1 of Murakami and Ohtani autograph card.
“Complex is proud to gather Takashi Murakami and two of MLB’s largest teams to celebrate this historical sporting moment in Tokyo,” said the Aaron Levant complex CEO. “This unique collaboration in life fuses Murakami’s unmistakable art with the global baseball energy, capturing the essence of the city and the deep cultural connection between art and sport.”
The series marks the 25th anniversary of the METS and the puppies that play the first games of the regular MLB season in Japan and will be the sixth time that the first game takes place in the country.
The entire collection will be available on complex.com, fanatics.com and mlbshop.com on March 7. The selected products will be available in the Tokyo series and in the Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field and the MLB flagship store in New York City.
Fans interested in the collection can attend immersive emerging events with collaboration with facilities inspired by Murakami in Los Angeles and Tokyo before the Tokyo series.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
