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Hello Kitty — the lovable fictional character created for Japanese entertainment company Sanrio by designer Yuko Shimizu in 1974 — is celebrating its 50th birthday with special collaborations all year long. The anniversary has already produced projects with Adidas, Crocs, and Forever 21, but the celebration isn’t over just yet.
New images of an official Hello Kitty x Adidas Gazelle Indoor collaboration are making the rounds online. More subtle than the duo’s previous work on the Sambae sneaker, this latest link-up mostly lets its color do the talking, but has plenty of whimsical details that are sure to satisfy Hello Kitty fans.
The “Cloud White/Red/Core Black” sneaker uses simple color blocking with a white leather base, black and red accents and a gray suede toe cap.
Unique to the Hello Kitty x Adidas Gazelle Indoor is a repeating pattern of the character’s bow, which is imprinted throughout the leather upper. At the heel, the Hello Kitty’s face is printed in black, while the bow motif is also embroidered in red on the black leather heel tab.
Over its five-decade history, Hello Kitty has been licensed for dozens of footwear collaborations. In 2004, the brand celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special Nike Air Presto project which only ended up in the hands of friends and family. The Hello Kitty x Air Presto collaboration was finally released to the public in 2022 in a blue colorway.
This year alone, Hello Kitty x Adidas collaborations have included the aforementioned Sambae sneaker and the Adilette slides. The Japanese franchise has also been featured on numerous co-branded Crocs releases.
Whether this year’s previous 50th anniversary Hello Kitty collabs have eluded readers or fans just want to add a new look to their collections, the Hello Kitty x Adidas Gazelle Indoor will be released soon. The pair is scheduled to release exclusively in women’s sizing on Oct. 1 for a retail price of $125. It will be available from adidas.com and select retailers.
