How characters from film, television and manga serve as fashion inspiration

Disney's 100th anniversary sees designers (pictured here is Tommy Hilfiger) and brands donating unique pieces to Make-A-Wish. Photo: Disney

Past collections from designers and fashion houses have been seen paying ode to characters from films and animations. They come from the worlds of Harry Potter, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Doraemon and more.

There are also collections that focus on the production houses themselves – Disney, of course, plus others like Studio Ghibli, DC Comics and Marvel.

Recently, Christian Louboutin released a capsule collection of accessories created in partnership with Marvel.

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On bags and shoes, bold jewel-like embellishments are inspired by the Infinity Stones, while the iconic Christian Louboutin spike is reborn as the Namor Spike, scale-like gems inspired by Namor, one of the first characters ever to appear in a Marvel comic.

This is in conjunction with Disney’s 100th anniversary (Marvel is under the larger group of entities owned by the media conglomerate).

Back in 2021, Malaysian designers created a show-stopping collection inspired by their favourite Disney princesses.

This was part of a charity initiative, with proceeds from their auction going to Make-A-Wish Malaysia.

“Many of us grew up with Disney princesses,” said Selangor Princess Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is the royal patron of Make-A-Wish Malaysia.

“Their universally relatable stories inspire folks from all backgrounds to be their authentic selves and impact the world through actions big and small.”

Clothes and accessories bearing images from animated film 'Howl's Moving Castle'. Photo: Loewe

Heels embellished with the Infinity Stones of Marvel's fantasy world. Photo: Christian Louboutin

For this year, the Disney 100th anniversary sees more fashion merchandise donated to Make-A-Wish globally.

Tommy Hilfiger reimagined its varsity jacket, an iconic symbol of American style, with a Mickey Mouse embroidered design and crochet detailing. Maison Margiela contributed a unique T-shirt inspired by the character.

Brands that created special designs for the auction include Marc Jacobs, Schiaparelli and more.

Anime also has a long history of being co-opted into fashion collections.

Studio Ghibli, the cult animation studio loved by people all over the world, worked with several brands in the past.

In February, Loewe launched its limited edition range of ready-to-wear and accessories inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle. It is the label’s third, following the ones focusing on Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.

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All three animated films were produced by Studio Ghibli.

Two years ago, Gucci launched a Doraemon collection. Earlier this year, Jimmy Choo revealed a Sailormoon collection. Malaysian brand Carlo Rino released a Harry Potter collection of bags and shoes in July.

In June, local modestwear label Ariani launched its second collection in collaboration with Warner Bros. It focused on Quidditch sport, inspired by the fictional game in the Harry Potter books.

These all show how important fantasy worlds are to fashion.