Iconic manga artist Ai Yazawa is joining forces with Uniqlo’s UT brand for a special t-shirt collection set to release in early July 2025. The collaboration celebrates Yazawa’s 40th anniversary in the industry and features designs from her most beloved works, including Nana, Paradise Kiss, Gokinjo Monogatari (Neighborhood Story), and Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I’m Not an Angel).
A Milestone Collaboration
Four Decades of Manga Brilliance
This Uniqlo UT collection marks a significant milestone in Ai Yazawa’s illustrious career. Since her debut 40 years ago, Yazawa has captivated readers with her distinctive art style and compelling storytelling, particularly focusing on fashion, music, and the complexities of relationships. Her works have not only defined generations of manga fans but have also influenced Japanese fashion and pop culture at large.
Exclusive Designs for Devoted Fans
What makes this Nana Uniqlo collab particularly special is a brand-new illustration created exclusively for the collection. The design features Nana Osaki (one of the two protagonists from Nana) wearing her signature leather jacket over a t-shirt bearing an image of Nana “Hachi” Komatsu, the series’ other protagonist. This meta design symbolizes the enduring connection between the two characters, offering fans a unique piece of Yazawa artistry unavailable anywhere else.
Collection Highlights
Nana: A Cult Classic Reimagined
The Nana t-shirt designs include a dark gray option featuring a collage of the members of Nana’s band “Black Stones” (BLAST), designed to resemble a vintage band t-shirt. This piece perfectly encapsulates the rock-and-roll aesthetic that made “Nana” a cultural phenomenon when it debuted in 2000.
Paradise Kiss: Fashion-Forward Tribute
The Paradise Kiss design comes in blue, drawing inspiration from the fashion show that serves as a pivotal plot point in the story. It features butterfly motifs and the brand logo embroidered on the chest—a fitting tribute to a manga that revolves around fashion design students creating their own clothing line.
Gokinjo Monogatari: Iconic Streetwear
For Gokinjo Monogatari (Neighborhood Story) fans, Uniqlo offers a white t-shirt featuring iconic motifs inspired by the fictional fashion brand that appears in the series. The back of the shirt showcases a design quoted from page 8 of the first volume of the manga’s paperback edition, making it a collector’s item for devoted fans.
Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai: Vintage Aesthetic
The Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I’m Not an Angel) design comes in natural color and features an illustration from the inside cover of the sixth volume of the Cobalt Bunko edition. Uniqlo has carefully reproduced the hand-drawn quality of Yazawa’s original artwork, preserving her distinctive style in the print.
Collection Details
Pricing, Sizing and Availability
All t-shirts in the Ai Yazawa UT collection will be priced at ¥1,500 each and will be available in sizes ranging from XS to 3XL, with XS and XXL-3XL sizes exclusive to Uniqlo’s online store. The collection will launch in early July 2025 at all Uniqlo stores across Japan and on the Uniqlo online store.
Yazawa’s Cultural Impact
Revolutionary Manga Storytelling
Ai Yazawa’s work stands out in the manga landscape for its nuanced exploration of youth culture, relationships, and artistic pursuits. Nana in particular has achieved cult status for its raw portrayal of friendship, ambition, and the music scene in early 2000s Japan. Similarly, Paradise Kiss revolutionized the way fashion was depicted in manga, with meticulous attention to clothing design and the fashion industry.
Fashion Meets Manga
What makes this collaboration particularly fitting is that Yazawa’s manga has always had a strong focus on fashion. Her characters are consistently well-dressed in carefully designed outfits that often reflect real fashion trends or create new ones. The intersection of manga and fashion that Yazawa pioneered makes this Uniqlo partnership feel like a natural extension of her artistic vision.
The Ai Yazawa x Uniqlo UT collection will be available in early July 2025. For more information and updates, visit the official collection page.
