In June 2022, months before Doja Cat covered herself in Swarovski crystals for Schiaparelli's Haute Couture runway breaking the Internet, Jimmy Choo presented at the Sailor Moon Exhibition at the Mori Art Museum at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, a take on Sailor Moon's knee-high tightly-fitting, fuchsia pink iconic boots.
A real-life version of schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino's signature boots when she fully transforms into her superhero counterpart, Sailor Moon, the boots featured a kick heel, the crescent Sailor Crystal jewel and allover Swarovski crystal embellishment (approximately 19,000 crystals, according to the press release, because nowadays you must be fastidiously precise in counting the Swarovski crystals you scatter on your design).
The extraordinarily sparkling boots were the first design unveiled as part of the Jimmy Choo capsule collection with the famous Japanese manga written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi to celebrate last year's 30th anniversary of the anime. Released as limited-edition and made-to-order, the Sailor Moon boots came with a shocking price tag, ¥1,796,000 yen (around €13,000).
One of the biggest anime series of all time, "Sailor Moon" (translated as "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon" and later as "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon") revolves around the adventures of Usagi, her talking black cat Luna, and her team of Sailor Guardians. First published in 1991, it was transformed into an anime in 1992, developing a cult following.
"Sailor Moon" also spawned spin-off shows, movies, a Japanese live-action television series, and a tribute band, J-pop group SG5 ("Sailor Guardians 5"; a supposedly "intergalactic pop supergroup that protects the universe from evil, injustice and negativity," featuring five members obviously inspired by the main characters from the anime series). As of 2022, the franchise grossed $14.3 billion in global sales, with $13 billion coming from merchandise alone.
Throughout the years, many brands launched official Sailor Moon products, among the others Vans, Casio and Sanrio, so it was only natural for Jimmy Choo to release a capsule dedicated to the series.
Developed by the brand creative director Sandra Choi and Naoko Takeuchi, creator of Sailor Moon, the full collection was unveiled a few days ago.
The capsule, dedicated to all Sailor Moon fans with loads of cash to spare, features footwear and handbags inspired by all the characters in the series and includes Sailor Moon knee-high stretch silhouette boots with a pink lacquered kick-heel; Sailor Jupiter lace-up green leather combat boots with a rubber lug sole and block heel, and Sailor Mercury ankle boots, designed in glossy patent leather and with a platform sole.
There are also Sailor Mars red patent pumps and Sailor Venus platform high-heeled satin pumps in a vibrant orange with ankle strap and scattered crystals, the sort of shoes idol wanna-be Minako Aino would definitely wear in the manga/anime.
Their mentor cat, Luna, also appears in black styles such as a platform loafer with a feline motif or a Luna-shaped clutch, also available in a version encrusted with crystals, limited to 25 pieces globally.
The bags and leather accessories are more desirable if you like mangas as they feature colour prints of scenes from the original series or black-and-white illustrations of Sailor Moon kissing Tuxedo Mask. Further illustrations will be used to decorate Jimmy Choo stores as the products (that also include sneakers and totes) become available next week.
The brand also collaborated with DJ Honey Dijon to create two original tracks inspired by the "Sailor Moon" series for a limited-edition vinyl.
The new Jimmy Choo x Sailor Moon collection will be available for purchase on February 14 (a day later in Japan) from the Jimmy Choo website and stores worldwide. Those who wished instead to order the exclusive Sailor Moon x Jimmy Choo boots covered in crystals already did so last year between July and September, but shipping will start this month. Hopefully, they will get them on time for Carnival or, even better, for the next Comic-Con.
"Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" is a story about self-expression, reinvention, hope, courage and a celebration of individuality and authenticity, so this collaboration was hailed in official press releases as being about female empowerment, strength, inclusivity, individuality, transformation through clothes and accessories and self-belief.
Obviously, these are all great principles that, unfortunately for us all, can't be bought and, despite the fact that, yes, a pair of glamorous shoes may make you feel great or, in the case of Usagi Tsukino and friends, they can transform you into cosmic guardians, and, while it is true that fashion has a transformative power ("I believe that shoes have the power to transform women," states Jimmy Choo Creative Director Sandra Choi about this collaboration. "Shoes change the state of mind and behavior. It turns people who wear shoes into superheroines."), you can also feel great and transform yourself without going bankrupt (besides, how can a pair of $13,000 boots and a range of luxury products be about inclusion?).
So, while this is a colourful and cute capsule, it feels a bit as if a cultural phenomenon build on manga and anime, things that can bring people together bridging cultures and languages, has just been repackaged for an elite, to remind us that some of us will remain wonderfully inventive cosplayers, but that only very few ones can afford extravagantly expensive designs like the limited boots.
That said, if you're a Sailor Soldier with no money to splash out, you can still satiate your hunger for Sailor Moon gadgets and accessories on the official online store, or, even better, leave the trinkets and tchotchkes behind, and keep an eye on the film, "Sailor Moon Cosmos" in two parts that should come out this year or re-read the manga. After all, the biggest fantasy we can live in is in our minds, not on our feet.
Talking about footwear and manga, if you like "Astro Boy", the Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka, there may be another extreme option for you - Astro Boy's iconic big red boots.
Designed by New York-based MSCHF, the conceptual art collective known for a wide range of interventions engaging fashion, art and technology (you may remember their controversial "Satan Shoes" that attracted Nike's ire or their "Cease & Desist Grand Prix"), the boots look outlandishly cartoonish, comically bold and dangerously abstract.
"You never design shoes to be shaped like feet," the team behind them states. "Big Red Boots are REALLY not shaped like feet, but they are EXTREMELY shaped like boots."
Featuring a rubber TPU shell and an EVA sole with the MSCHF logo, MSCHF's Big Red Boots will be available from February 16th, 2023 exclusively via the MSCHF online shop ($350) and on the Sneakers app.
Looks like manga and anime-inspired footwear may be trending then, especially if it comes in bright colours, fancy materials and, well, rather unusual shapes.
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