Happy 50th Birthday, Hello Kitty! Celebrate the Fashionable Feline’s Collaborations Through the Years With Balenciaga, Blumarine and More

Hannah Malach

31 October 2024 at 2:53 pm·7-min read

Originally created by Ikuko Shimizu for Sanrio in 1974, Hello Kitty celebrates her 50th birthday on Friday. The beloved character has spawned television shows, video games and merchandise ranging from stationery to home goods, resulting in $3.8 billion in annual retail sales globally in 2022. As it turns out, the pop culture icon also has a passion for fashion: over the years, Sanrio has licensed its flagship feline to luxe labels like Balenciaga, Blumarine and Courrèges.

Below, ring in Hello Kitty’s golden anniversary with a look back at several noteworthy collaborations.

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Anteprima

Anteprima has been producing Hello Kitty and My Melody-inspired purses and charms — made from the brand’s signature wire cord — since the 2000s. They come in various shapes and sizes, from gargantuan bags shaped like Hello Kitty herself to smaller silhouettes emblazoned with the character’s face and signature red bow.

Balenciaga

In 2019, Balenciaga debuted Hello Kitty handbags in collaboration with Sanrio. Their Ville silhouette, shown above on the runway at Balenciaga’s spring 2020 fashion show, was redesigned with the fictional feline’s face, ears and bow, while shoelaces made up her whiskers. The Balenciaga and Hello Kitty Ville came in three different colors — pink, white and black — and in various sizes.

The Blonds

The Blonds are known for their intricate corsetry worn by pop stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Chappell Roan. In 2009, the designer duo created a custom Hello Kitty bustier for Katy Perry, which was adorned with crystallized heads depicting the cartoon creature.

Blumarine

In 2021, Sanrio teamed up with Blumarine to launch a Hello Kitty capsule. Consisting of the brand’s early 2000s-inspired staples like embroidered denim and fur-trimmed cardigans, the collection featured clothing and accessories including miniskirts, jackets, knitwear, belts and handbags.

“Hello Kitty is an icon of my generation and fully represents the 2000s aesthetic to which I have been referring since the beginning of my path at Blumarine,” former creative director Nicola Brognano told WWD. “Hello Kitty is cute, lighthearted, funny, international: For this reason, I am happy to present this collection as a world exclusive on Ssense.com, not a simple e-commerce platform but a real cultural meeting point with a young, eclectic and hyper fashionista audience.”

Courrèges

Courrèges collaborated with Sanrio on a line of Hello Kitty apparel and accessories sold exclusively in Japan in 2008, encompassing T-shirts, backpacks, cosmetic cases and even digital cameras.

GCDS

GCDS, the Italian brand known for its kitschy interpretations of beloved franchises like Polly Pocket, Care Bears and Pokémon, has collaborated with Hello Kitty on multiple occasions since 2017. They’ve sent shoes, handbags and clothing featuring the cartoon character down the runway, and for her 50th anniversary, the brand partnered with PAN Milano, a Japanese bakery, to debut Hello Kitty doughnuts and shokupan.

GK Reid

In the early days of her fame, Lady Gaga joined forces with Hello Kitty for her 35th anniversary. The campaign featured the pop star dressed in designs inspired by the Sanrio figurehead, all custom-made by creative director and designer GK Reid.

Memorably, Gaga wore a gown made of plush Hello Kitty dolls, which Reid and his team put together in just three hours. It’s since been exhibited at the Museum of Popular Culture in Seattle and the Museum Volkenkunde in the Netherlands.

Heatherette

Heatherette, the label cofounded by Club Kid Richie Rich and Traver Rains, collaborated with Hello Kitty for several seasons, including in 2004, when she celebrated her 30th anniversary. Heatherette revealed purses, dresses, skirts, pants and more printed with Hello Kitty graphics.

“[Hello Kitty is] this iconic creature that for me wasn’t limited to seven-year-old girls,” Rich told WWD in 2003. “She’s almost an extension of the Warholian idea of fame,” Rich added, although going way past Warhol’s ’15 minutes.'”

JimmyPaul

JimmyPaul, the Amsterdam-based label known for its kitschy, colorful fashions inspired by the Japanese kawaii aesthetic, debuted a Hello Kitty collection in 2019. The brand’s spring 2020 collection, presented at London Fashion Week, incorporated Japanese design elements like kintsugi (repairing broken pottery) and furoshiki (gift wrapping).

“I’m honored and privileged to work with Sanrio and such an iconic character like Hello Kitty,” creative director Jimmy Paul, who’s designed looks for Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, said in a statement at the time. “This is truly a dream come true.”

Judith Leiber

Since the 2000s, handbag designer Judith Leiber has collaborated with Hello Kitty on multiple occasions, including for the character’s 30th and 35th anniversaries. The brand translated Hello Kitty’s familiar figure into its signature crystallized clutches, which came in several silhouettes, such as minaudières, top-handle purses and zip-up pouches.

In 2005, Leiber teamed up with another Hello Kitty collaborator, Kimora Lee Simmons, and her company Simmons Jewelry Co. to create a one-of-a-kind clutch encrusted with 17 carats of white and black diamonds and over 200 carats of peridot, amethyst and pink sapphire stones. Valued at $125,000, it was auctioned off for charity as part of a benefit hosted by Nelly and his nonprofit, 4Sho4Kids.

Leaf Xia

Chinese designer Leaf Xia combined her love of bold graphics and texture with Hello Kitty’s nostalgic aesthetic for her fall 2019 collection, including outerwear, dresses and hoodies.

Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons first launched a line of Hello Kitty jewelry as part of a partnership between Sanrio and Simmons Jewelry Co. in 2005. The collection, which featured 24 designs, plastered diamonds, citrine and onyx stones onto Hello Kitty’s iconic image, crafted in 18-karat gold, sterling silver and enamel. The range, sold at Neiman Marcus, consisted of charm bracelets, earrings and pendants priced from $300 to $3,000.

In 2006, Simmons expanded the line, revealing six new fine jewelry pieces — costing $20,000 to $80,000 — crafted from 18-karat white gold. Accents on necklaces, rings, earrings and watches included a brushed yellow gold nose and a bow of shiny rose gold and pink diamonds perched at the feline’s ear. Britney Spears famously wore the $50,000 Kimora Lee Simmons for Hello Kitty pendant in her music video for “Do Somethin,'” though pieces from the collection were also worn by Rihanna and Paris Hilton.

“The new pieces are really pieces I originally designed for myself and wear every day,” Simmons told WWD in 2006. “They are the KLS special. We never thought we’d sell Hello Kitty at high price points, but we’ve been getting a great response to more expensive pieces, so we thought we’d give this a try. After all, Hello Kitty is a real diamond diva.”

Soulland

The sustainable Copenhagen-based label Soulland debuted Hello Kitty-printed clothing as part of their spring 2023 collection. The whimsical range consisted of coordinating sets, button-ups, T-shirts, dresses and more. “Each piece captures a unique take on the classic character, with a mix of modern style and nostalgic appeal,” the brand’s verbiage reads.

Tarina Tarantino

Paris Hilton in Backstage Creations Talent Retreat (Photo by J.Sciulli/WireImage for Backstage Creations) — Paris Hilton wears a Hello Kitty x Tarina Tarantino necklace in 2004.

Designer Tarina Tarantino grew up with Hello Kitty, leading her to launch a collaboration with Sanrio in 2003. Known for her Swarovski-speckled costume jewelry and hair accessories, Tarantino still manufactures the Hello Kitty x Tarina Tarantino line.

“I was completely excited because I’ve always been a Hello Kitty freak,” Tarantino told WWD in 2003. “I’ve been buying the stuff since 1976, when I was 6. I still check eBay for stuff. But there’s every kind of Hello Kitty jewelry imaginable. It was a challenge coming up with something that they haven’t already made.”

Tarantino’s enamel cameo jewelry depicts the character with hot pink tresses inspired by the designer’s own signature hairdo. Celebrities including Cameron Diaz, Dakota Fanning and Nicky Hilton have been spotted in Hello Kitty x Tarina Tarantino pieces over the years.

“The idea was, ‘What if Hello Kitty is as obsessed with me the way I am with her?’” she said.