Millennials (and the older contingent of Gen Z) may now be adults, but their nostalgia for childhood objects appears to be going nowhere. And while fashion may be barreling towards a 2010s revival, brands are channeling their ’90s and early aughts inspiration via unexpected avenues. Beyond the never-ending Y2K fashion revival, labels big and small are dreaming up accessories that resurface childhood memories, reimagining our favorite toys and characters in new—and most importantly, chic—ways.
Just last week, Fendi launched a collection in collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s FRGMT and The Pokémon Company that featured the various evolutions of the Dragon-type Pokémon (Dragonair, Dragonite, and Dratini) across the brand’s Peekaboo and Baguette bags, as well as on card holders, T-shirts, hoodies, and jewelry. In an especially kitschy turn, the brand has also rendered a limited number of Dragonite leather figurines, requiring 30 hours of work by the house’s craftsmen to produce a single figure.
Silvia Venturini Fendi, the brand’s artistic director of accessories and menswear, declared in a statement: “[Fujiwara has] taken our handbags and made them into mini pop monuments.” And sure enough, the partnership—which honors the Year of the Dragon—instantly garnered enthusiasm on social media, with users declaring that they “would do anything for these bags,” or that they “have never needed anything more.”
Photo: Daniele La Malfa