The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their collaboration with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami with a new collection that launched this past Monday in celebration of Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium.
The latest capsule marked a second time the Dodgers and Murakami collaborated on a collection this year, with the first being the wildly successful line of Tokyo Series merchandise that included products for the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
Murakami was blown away by the response fans had to his Tokyo Series launch. The support that the Japanese people showed for his clothing and the Tokyo Series as a whole was particularly meaningful for him.
Murakami was pleased to see a renewal of baseball’s popularity in Japan, which has been driven by Shohei Ohtani, via Danielle Directo-Meston of The Hollywood Reporter:
“The reaction [to my first capsule collection] in Japan was the biggest I’ve ever experienced, and it made me realize anew how important Shohei Ohtani and baseball are to Japanese people, which made my heart fill up with excitement,” Murakami tells THR. “When I was a child, baseball was the king of sports, but by the time I graduated from college, people’s interest had shifted to soccer, and recently, people were even saying that maybe baseball was a thing of the past. But since Shohei Ohtani went to the Major Leagues, there has been a huge resurgence of interest, and it feels like my childhood has come back. It makes me very happy.”
Presented by Complex and Fanatics, the new collaborative collection features three different colored t-shirts and a black sweatshirt. The items feature Dodgers’ branding as well as similar motifs from the Tokyo series collection.
Murakami was in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Monday to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Dodgers’ matchup with the Miami Marlins. He also announced the customary “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”
Where to buy new Takashi Murakami Dodgers collection
Various items from Murakami’s new Dodgers collection are currently in stock on Complex.com, Fanatics.com and the Fanatics app.
The collection has also been available for purchase at various stores throughout Dodger Stadium since Monday and will be while supplies last.
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