Pokémon is turning 25 this February, and as part of the celebration this month, the Japanese media franchise has teamed up with clothing company Levi’s for a capsule collection that taps into the late ‘90s style vibe.
The Levi’s x Pokémon collection is comprised of jackets, sweatshirts, t-shirts, crop tops, shorts, and jeans, as well as accessories like caps, beanies, socks, and bags that feature bright-colored graphics of Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Meowth, and other Generation I pocket monsters.
“It’s so fun to hear people talk about their love of Pokémon,” Karyn Hillman, chief product officer at Levi Strauss & Co, said in a statement. “The fact that we had this ability to play and create with so many iconic Pokémon and characters was really a special experience. It’s such a thoughtful collection that respects and celebrates the world of Pokémon, and it was so cool mixing our icons and history with theirs — it’s nostalgic and optimistic, with a little bit of escapism.”
Notable pieces from the collection include a matching all-over print Trucker Jacket and 551TMZ Jeans featuring a striking forest design filled with various Pokémon like Butterfree, Jigglypuff, Ekans, Vaporeon, Flareon, Diglett, Oddish, Gengar, and Mewtwo.
“The all-over printed Trucker and Jeans are two standout pieces,” said Jenny Carlin, director of women’s tops design at Levi Strauss & Co, who worked on the collection. “The pattern is bright green and very colorful, and we added greenery and flowers to give it more depth. It’s fun to look at it and see all the characters we were able to incorporate into the print.”
Other standout items from the assortment are a ‘90s style vintage fit Trucker Jacket and a pair of 551TMZ Authentic Straight Jeans in stonewash indigo, which are both adorned with an oversized embroidered Pikachu.
“When we put the style into development, we weren’t sure we would be able to develop such a large patch because none of us had done something like that before,” Carlin said of the massive Pikachu motifs found in some of the pieces from the collection. “We’re really happy with how it turned out!”
Also included in the collection is a full-on Misty cosplay costume, which is basically made up of a light-yellow sleeveless top and high-waisted denim shorts with red suspenders.
Items in the lineup, which range from $20 to $148 each, will be available on Levi.com, the Levi’s App, Levi’s stores, and in select retail partner stores starting today, February 15th. The collection is expected to drop online at 9 a.m. ET.
This isn’t the first time Levi’s has released a capsule collection based on a Japanese media franchise. In 2020, Levi’s teamed up with Nintendo for a Super Mario Bros. collection in line with the 35th-anniversary celebration of the franchise.