When Studio Ghibli takes to the runway

Cinema has always been a source of inspiration for the world of fashion, in a relationship that starts from a purely aesthetic canon to a more emotional and personal one. We've seen it with The Matrix, capable of influencing dozens of designers since 1999, and we've seen it, albeit in "television" form, with The Simpsons and Balenciaga in a very personal evocation of the past of its creative director Demna. The umpteenth demonstration of this relationship is the arrival of the second Loewe capsule dedicated to the work of Studio Ghibli, the legendary animation studio co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki and the protagonist of a collection that combines the aesthetics of Jonathan Anderson with the characters of Spirited Away. It is certainly not the first time that Miyazaki's work meets the world of fashion: last January, Loewe had dedicated a capsule to My Neighbor Totoro, while in December 2020 L.L. Bean had dedicated a capsule to some of the studio's films, including Kiki's Deliveries Service and Princess Mononoke. Moreover, in 2017 Studio Ghibli itself had inaugurated GBL, a real fashion brand with some physical stores scattered around Japan.

Loewe x Spirited Away

L.L. Bean x Ghibli

GBL

L.L. Bean x Ghibli

In reality, the collaboration between Loewe and Studi Ghibli, available from January 7th, is only the latest evolution of a relationship that has reached the catwalks of fashion weeks, inspiring names such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. In a game of similarities more or less declared and told by Francesca Dunn on i-D, some of Chloe's clothes seem to be inspired by Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro, while No Face Volto seems to emerge in a dress signed by Yohji Yamamoto. If Valentino is unlikely to have seen Ponyo, the resemblance between one of his dresses and the film's protagonist actually reminds us of the stylistic value of Ghibli creations, capable of stepping out of the big screen and representing Japanese tradition in a different way. The fascination for the West typical of Japanese culture often finds space in the costumes of the protagonists of Hayao Miyazaki's films, where sneakers, tees and oversized outfits are featured. This is the case of Kiki and Chichiro, perfect examples of the "hybrid" aesthetics of Ghibli characters that blend with the magical and imaginative creatures that accompany the adventures of Miyazaki's heroines.

Chloe

Gareth Pugh

Alexander McQueen

Yohji Yamamoto

Chloe

Maybe it's because of this encounter between the human and the magical that the Ghibli style has managed to influence entire generations of viewers, crossing the borders of cinema to become a point of reference for fashion, capable of capturing the nuances of worlds made of colors and shapes that arrived on the catwalks of Fashio Week or on hoodies, tees and other items, as in the case of the capsule signed by Loewe. Maybe that's also why the idea of having a collaboration with Chichiro from Spirited Away seems like a great idea.

Ghibli loewe

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When Studio Ghibli takes to the runway