Hello Kitty, My Melody sukajan jackets combine symbols of Japan traditional, old-school, and cute

Sanrio Yokosuka jackets proves cute and cool doesn’t have to be an either/or choice.

Japan is a country with a rich history of distinct aesthetics. If we’re talking sights that have been considered representative of the country for centuries, we have to start with Mt. Fuji and cherry blossoms. Meanwhile, in more modern eras, the cute characters of Sanrio have also become a globally recognized shorthand for “JAPAN!”

So what better place for those symbols of Japan to meet than on a canvas that’s itself a style that originated in Japan: the sukajan.

The sukajan gets its name from the town of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, where the look was established following World War II as the fashion senses of American sailors at the city’s naval base blended with those of local Japanese youths. The resulting garment, also sometimes called a “souvenir jacket” in English, features smooth, shimmering fabric with contrasting colors for the chest/back and sleeves, along with embroidery evocative of Japan. Often this comes in the form of flying dragons, leaping carp, or raging wind gods, but Tokyo-based fashion company Nevermind’s muses are instead Sanrio stars Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Kuromi.

It’s not all modern pop, though, as the designs of the all-rayon also incorporate traditional motifs, starting with the Kitty-chan jacket with a storm of sakura petals blowing through the night sky with Mt. Fuji in the background and a crescent moon above, and Kitty herself donning a kimono on the jacket’s back.

Alternatively, there’s Hello Kitty in her standard outfit among larger, more detailed cherry blossoms.

If you’re finding yourself torn between the two Kitty-chan designs and paralyzed by the impossible task of picking one over the other, take heart. There’s actually no need to choose, since this is a reversable sukajan, meaning you get both designs in one garment!

However, you might still be faced with the tough decision of picking between either Hello Kitty or the combo of My Melody and Kuromi.

The front features kind and considerate My Melody on the right, and decidedly more self-centered Kuromi on the left. Both of them appear on the backside, again kimono-clad and surrounded by cherry blossoms as the sun either rises or sets next to Mt. Fuji.

▼ Note their impressive sandals.

Like the Hello Kitty sukajan, this one is reversable, but in a slightly different way. Turn it inside out…

…and it becomes an all-Kuromi jacket, with My Melody forced out of the picture.

▼ Sharing isn’t really Kuromi’s strong suit.

▼ “Hey, Kuromi, what’d you do with My Melody?”, Hello Kitty seems to be asking.

Both designs are on sale now through the Nevermind online store here. Sukajan typically aren’t cheap, and they’re priced at 38,280 yen (US$245), but you are essentially getting two jackets for that price, and the My Melody/Kuromi one would make it the outfit choice to wear while watching their upcoming Netflix stop-motion series.

Source, images: PR Times
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