On Friday, popular streetwear brand Hype launched a brand new clothing line featuring stylised icons and characters from popular Nintendo franchise Pokemon.
Capitalising on the popularity of Niantic’s widely played augmented reality game for smartphones, Pokemon Go, Hype launched the line at a buzzing pop-up shop on Carnaby Street.
Approaching the store, a lengthy queue could be seen stretching up the renowned retail street, with many excitable Pokemon fans wearing recognisable Pikachu masks. Those that were patiently waiting to get a glimpse of this nostalgia-heavy launch were entertained by a Pikachu mascot that enthusiastically posed for souvenir snaps.
The pop-up store itself was full to the brim with people grabbing pieces off the shelves, slurping on complimentary slush puppies and reliving many of their favourite childhood memories that were spent sat in front of a Game Boy or Television.
Amongst the collection were an assortment of caps featuring the most popular first generation Pokemon: Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Meowth, Jigglypuff and Gengar. A lot of these popular characters featured on the other items too, with BBK rapper JME’s Pokemon-of-choice, Charizard, featuring on a lot of long-sleeve tee’s, along with legendary Pokemon Mewtwo and Mew as well.
The moderately priced garms boast a whole range of first gen Pokemon and it’s likely that your favourite starter or long-grass-catch features on one piece or another.
It’s impressive to see streetwear brands like Hype and skate brands like Vans get these exclusive deals with companies like Pokemon and Disney, pulling off unique and interesting designs that still manage to stay true to the franchises in question.
Pokemon will continue to celebrate their 25th anniversary later this year with the release of their newest generation of main-series Pokemon games, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, which are set to release in November.
To check out the full Hype and Pokemon collection, visit their website here.