PILLINGS X NIKO NIKO PUN

During my latest trip to Tokyo, I had the pleasure of meeting Ryota Murakami, the designer of the Japanese fashion brand Pillings, a brand I had been keeping an eye on for months before my departure: it was one of the many lovely encounters I had during my time over there.

During the meeting, held at the Pillings HQ, I learned more about his extraordinary work, which, in a similar way to mine, highlights the value of handmade and craftsmanship, and we both expressed the intention of potentially collaborating in the near future.

Ryota Murakami made his official debut in 2014, soon becoming a recurring fixture of Tokyo Fashion Week. While gaining more recognition both domestically and internationally, the designer renamed his eponymous brand "Pillings" in 2020, starting a new chapter and highlighting the brand identity, focusing on its distinctive knitwear and conceptual approach to design, presenting ready-to-wear pieces that often feature innovative textures inspired by everyday life.

A few weeks after my return to France, I was happily surprised to hear back from the team, asking me to create a custom illustration to promote their upcoming collaboration with Niko Niko Pun, a classic Japanese children’s puppet–based TV program, considered one of Japan’s most beloved shows of the 1980s–90s.

The collaboration was first unveiled as part of Pillings’ Spring/Summer 2026 show during Tokyo Fashion Week, presenting knitwear with Niko Niko Pun's three main characters embroidered; it was a nostalgic and personal design reference within a high-fashion runway moment that aimed to connect childhood memories with wearable art.

The collaboration hides a deep personal connection for the designer as it's inspired by a knit piece Murakami’s mother made for him as a child, which partly generated the unique vision for the brand, with knitwear as its main focus.

Murakami's mother was also heavily involved in the design process of his eponymous brand. The Pillings x Niko Niko Pun collaboration becomes this way a true full-circle moment for Murakami san, highlighting the brand's authenticity and core values, reflecting both family craftsmanship and intergenerational creativity, elements that resonate through the knit-focused collections.

That's why I am extremely happy to be involved in such a personal project, adding my own personal view to an already unique and meaningful collaboration.