UNIQLO is tapping into its Japanese origins once again with a new series of printed graphic t-shirts inspired by the art and style of Kabuki. They’re all incredibly unique and because stores are only to be found in the big smoke of London town, if you live anywhere else and get one, you’ll probably be the only dude in town with anything like it.
The UNIQLO Kabuki t-shirts range contains some of the most striking print designs available this summer, and while they’ve been based on what is quite a dramatic art form, they’re also incredibly stylish. Kabuki has been around since the 17th Century in Japan, so it’s had a lot of time to work on some pretty cool designs and they’ve been brought together for the latest UT print t-shirts.
UNIQLO has brought its own Japanese spirit to British fashion on a number of occasions, but these have historically been more inspired by popular culture than traditional art. While the little known (outside of London) fashion retailer has featured everything from Metal Gear Solid to anime for its prints, this is one of the first times it has dipped into the cultural heritage of its home country, and it works very well.
There are twelve new arrival designs in the range of t-shirts and we’ve featured our favourite five from the Kabuki collection. The coolest of these is the white, multi-colour Kabuki spiral design above, which is striking, but understated with a smart placement of the graphic over the shoulder.
It’s countered by the dark side equivalent below with the same design in black and charcoal with the Kabuki insignia around the neckline. It’s another stand-out understated counterbalance that will work well with shorts and a fat glass of cold beer. It’s also available in navy on white, but it definitely works better in the darker colour option.
Our final three picks from the UNIQLO Kabuki t-shirts range are below and they’ve all got high levels of unique design. The painted Kabuki face in the centre is brilliantly surreal, the blue swirls on white look impressive and the pattern prints on the green t-shirt is a great take on polka-dot charm.
The collection is a collaboration between UNIQLO, Shochiku, the leading Kabuki production company in Japan and the acclaimed Kabuki actor, Ichikawa Ennosuke Ⅳ. As with the majority of UNIQLO’s printed t-shirt designs, demand exceeds supply, so you might want to move fast if you want to bag yourself something relatively unique.
