There was a 2021 article by L’Official that spoke about the connection between manga culture and high fashion. From watching Japanese anime growing up, I believe the best example of this connection is Sailor Moon, a magical girl shojo manga. Recently, I went to a panel at Katsucon 2023, an anime convention held in Maryland, that explained the inspiration for the character designs based on 90’s high fashion. A notable example of this is when the creator of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, paid homage to the Chanel dress from the Spring 1992 collection by illustrating the design on one of her characters. Takeuchi also took inspiration from Mugler by establishing his multi-layered feather tutu skirt identical to his Fall/Winter 1992 collection to display a theatrical villainous look.

Recently, we’ve been seeing the aesthetics of anime in celebrities like Dua Lipa in 2021 Milan Fashion Week. The singer was seen wearing a One Piece-inspired top and skirt. Megan thee Stallion has been vocal about her love of anime, going as far as posing as My Hero Academia character, Bakugo, for Paper Magazine.

Jimmy Choo’s latest collection in collaboration with Sailor Moon. The creative director, Sandra Choi, stated that “This collaboration underscores our shared values not just of female empowerment but for fashion’s ability to inspire inclusivity and individuality through personality and self-belief.” This statement further proves how fashion affects all aspects of creative media, down to fictional characters, to aid in storytelling.

Loewe has collaborated with Studio Ghibli, releasing a capsule collection inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle.Loewe’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, described Miyazaki films as “Blending hand-drawn and digital animation, Howl’s Moving Castle is technically innovative, exemplifying the power of craft as a bridge between the old and new — a creative approach that Loewe is proud to share.” Miyazaki and his team manage to show great detail to realism in every element within each frame. Loewe capitalizes on this through the usage of tweed, embroidery, leather, appliqué, etc. in their collection, making the storytelling through film come to life through fashion.