Tigers Burning Bright

Last year around this time, as the start of the Lunar New Year ushered in the Year of the Ox, we considered how some cartoon characters represent a good fit with the signs of the Chinese Zodiac. As such, they are ripe for fashion collaborations when their turn comes around every 12 years. We noted at the time that the Year of the Tiger, which began a couple of days ago (on February 1), would create potential for initiatives involving the many tiger characters that have been part of pop culture over the years.

Brands and properties have indeed taken advantage of that opportunity, as a number of mostly luxury fashion labels have paired with a range of tiger characters, often with nostalgic appeal, for global capsule collections. Some of the characters are from the world of comic books, TV, and movies, while others hail from advertising. A few come out of Asia or have connections with the continent; others were developed in the West. Many are secondary characters, with some fairly obscure and others widely recognized.

A handful of examples:

• Miu Miu created a t-shirt collection featuring four tiger cartoons from various eras. Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh franchise made his first appearance in books in 1928. Tillie Tiger was the love interest of the main character in Disney’s 1936 Silly Symphony, Elmer Elephant. Tiger Mask was a wrestler-superhero from a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Ikki Kajiwara and Naomi Tsuji, respectively; it was initially published in 1968 in Kodansha’s Bokura magazine and later the star of a Toei TV series. Finally, Tiger Girl, written and drawn by Jerry Siegel and Jack Sparling of DC Comics fame, appeared in one issue of a comic book published by Gold Key Comics, also in 1968. After Miu Miu announced the collection highlighting these four characters, online mentions of the brand (across 86 countries) increased by 56%, with 75% of the sentiment positive, according to Jing Daily.

• Etro released a limited-edition capsule of ready-to-wear apparel and accessories shining a spotlight on Tigress, one of the main supporting characters in Dreamworks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, a film set in China. The other characters in the movie, the panda Po along with Mantis, Shifu, Monkey, and Crane, also appear in the collection. The cartoons are integrated with Etro’s signature paisley patterns.

• Moschino went with a classic advertising character, Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger, the mascot for Frosted Flakes. The global collection includes 16 pieces, among them athletic shorts, dresses, t-shirts (fitted and oversize), and denim jackets. The items integrate elements such as tiger stripes and bold graphics of Tony, and a clutch takes the form of a Frosted Flakes box. The name Couture Moschino Milano appears where the Frosted Flakes name normally is located in any graphics depicting the box; the cereal has different names in different territories.

• Saint Laurent took a slightly different turn by pairing with MGM’s The Pink Panther, turning the classic character an orangy-brown color and adding tiger stripes. Unlike the other, more brightly colored examples, this capsule is in natural earth tones, with some of the items featuring subtle tiger stripes. The collection features women’s and men’s wear and accessories and the character plays a cameo rather than starring role, appearing on select items including a sweatshirt and a keychain.

Beyond these examples involving licensed felines, Max Mara and Onitsuka Tiger featured their own proprietary tigers. The former created a character called Tigrotto, which it is highlighting on some items in a travel-oriented collection, while the latter is going all out with a Year of Onitsuka Tiger, offering a series of products featuring artists’ takes on its mascot, starting with Yasushi Nirasawa’s reimagining.

Reebok and Kipling both turned to licensed characters, but not tiger-related ones. Reebok paired with Warner Bros. for a Lunar New Year capsule featuring the classic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote on shoes and Sylvester, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig on apparel, representing the fifth collaboration between the two companies. The collection is available online in China. Kipling worked with Sanrio on a collection of backpacks, shoulder bags, pouches, and purses starring Hello Kitty. Rather than turning her into a tiger, à la the Pink Panther, the items feature her wearing a tiger costume. Interestingly, both the Looney Tunes and the Sanrio gang include tiger characters, Cool Cat and Pochacco, respectively, but neither are involved in these collaborations.

A heads up to the licensors that own bunny-related IP: 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.