Billie Eilish by Takashi Murakami
American young singer-songwriter Billie Eilish — who swept all four major categories at the 2020 Grammy Awards — and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami collaborated on a UNIQLO T-shirt collection, which went on early sale via the UNIQLO official online store from May 25, 2020.
Titled “Billie Eilish by Takashi Murakami,” the project was realized under UNIQLO’s T-shirt brand “UT” through a collaboration between the front-line Billie Eilish and Takashi Murakami.
It’s a rare T-shirt collection with designs by Takashi Murakami on the subject of Billie Eilish.
The origins of this project date back to 2019.
The two began exchanging messages on Instagram, which developed into a friendship and eventually into a jointly produced music video.
The next video, “you should see me in a crown,” is that music video.
Billie Eilish
An 18-year-old singer-songwriter whose star ascended rapidly following the release of her debut single “ocean eyes.” Her debut album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” debuted at No. 1 in 17 countries and regions, became the biggest-selling album of 2019, and sparked a global social phenomenon. At the 62nd Grammy Awards in January 2020, she became the youngest artist ever to sweep all four major categories — Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist — for a total of five awards including Best Pop Vocal Album.
Release Date: Monday, May 25, 2020
On the T-shirt collection’s release day, May 25, 2020, traffic to the UNIQLO online store surged and the server went down.
Since the release had built significant buzz ahead of time, buyers appear to have flooded in.
For a while purchases were impossible, but around 2:00 p.m. the following day, the 26th, a recovery notice appeared. There seemed to be plenty of stock, and items did not sell out instantly even after recovery. UNIQLO appears to have learned from the KAWS collaboration incident (bulk buying by resellers), and a certain production volume seems to have been secured.
I made my purchase around 9 a.m. on the 26th via the UNIQLO official app.
The official app appears to run on a separate server from the browser version, and it was possible to purchase smoothly without stress.
I Bought Some
This time I bought two T-shirts (both men’s).
Total was 3,300 yen, with free shipping.
Original Keychain
As part of this collaboration, buyers who purchased two or more related items received one original keychain as a gift. For online purchases, keychains are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and shipped together with the products.
Giant Billie Eilish Statue
A 3-meter-tall Billie Eilish statue specially created by Takashi Murakami for this collection will appear for a limited time at the UNIQLO Harajuku store, scheduled to open in June.
The statue wears one of the UT pieces from this collaboration.
It’s a valuable opportunity to see, up close, a Takashi Murakami work of the kind that thrills audiences worldwide.
*The opening date of the Harajuku store may change depending on the state of emergency and other conditions.
UNIQLO has generated buzz through past collaborations with contemporary artists such as KAWS and Meguru Yamaguchi. What kind of artist will they pair up with next?
Overview
Billie Eilish × Takashi Murakami
Release: Monday, May 25, 2020 (online store); Friday, June 5, 2020 (UNIQLO stores nationwide)
Lineup: MEN T-shirts (6 designs) 1,500 yen + tax
WOMEN T-shirts (6 designs) 1,500 yen + tax
KIDS T-shirts (6 designs) 990 yen + tax
UNISEX cap (2 colors) 1,990 yen + tax
UNISEX hat (2 colors) 1,990 yen + tax
Gift: Customers who purchase two or more items on the online store receive one original keychain.
