Streetwear and anime go hand-in-hand, and today, global apparel retailer UNIQLO today launched their “Chainsaw Man x Kosuke Kawamura UT” collection from its graphic T-shirt brand UT (UNIQLO T-shirt) in the United States. Having already had multiple stunning anime collaborations with Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Spy x Family, to name a few, the brand is now giving Chainsaw Man fans shirts to call their own. If you’re unfamiliar, Chainsaw Man is the hit dark fantasy anime produced by MAPPA, based on the manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The story follows Denji, a teenage boy living with a Chainsaw Devil named Pochita. Due to the debt his father left behind, he has been living a rock-bottom life. One day, Denji is betrayed and killed. As his consciousness fades, he makes a contract with Pochita and gets revived as “Chainsaw Man”–a man with a devil’s heart..
One of our top anime of 2022, the anime has received a tremendously positive response during and after its broadcast and is available to stream now on Crunchyroll. But one thing makes this collection even more special. The Chainsaw Man x Kosuke Kawamura UT Collection is a collaboration with collage artist Kosuke Kawamura, who dynamically and elaborately reconstructs the world of the anime. Kosuke Kawamura has held individual shows in Japan and overseas, while at the same time engaging in a wide range of activities such as collaboration with various companies and was appointed Creative Director for UT in 2022.
About the collection, Kawamura said, “I used a lot of the original anime art and scenes for this collection. Since the drawings are very detailed, it was easy to expand the range of ideas as design material, and I was able to try various collage styles and methods. Even in the rough original drawings, the pictures themselves are well-finished, and I felt that they could be used as-is for T-shirt designs. My aim was to create designs that long-time fans of Chainsaw Man could enjoy as something a little different and that people unfamiliar with the anime would want to wear as well.”
The Chainsaw Man x Kosuke Kawamura UT Collection features all-original designs and brings together Chainsaw Man, a mighty hero who becomes a chainsaw as he takes on enemies, with Kawamura’s “cut and rebuild” style. The lineup of men’s T-shirts is comprised of nine styles that feature fan favorites Makima, Power, Denji, and Pochita, plus a devil hunters shirt with best boi Aki too. For the graphic designs, Kawamura takes the original anime drawings and scenes and gives them a new expression using his distinctive shredded art and collage style. In addition, both the short and long sleeve T-shirts have a street fashion style oversized silhouette jointly developed by Kawamura and UNIQLO. The striking art shines through, while a focus on ease of wearing completes this formidable collection.
Grab your Chainsaw Man x Kosuke Kawamura UT Collection tees here.