Anime conventions and fashion are not often used in the same sentence. Anime conventions, or better yet, “cons,” generally insinuate things like dressing up as popular characters (cosplay), fan art and fandoms, but not fashion.
Milwaukee has its own convention called Anime Milwaukee, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Every year there are activities to participate in such as gaming, panels and cosplay meetups. A fashion show was new for 2017.
Japanese Designer, MINT NEKO, was featured at this year’s event. MINT is the creative mind behind the fashion brand MINT NEKO. Neko is the romanized spelling of ねこ, which means “cat” in Japanese.
Designer MINT developed a knack for drawing cats and has drawn over 200 different ones, which can be seen in his designs. MINT’s vision is to create a line that people can use to become something else, kind of like cosplay.
MINT credits his cat designs to his love of cats. Although he does not have a cat, he would name it Kuro if he did. Kuro is a popular name for black cats because Kuro (くろ）means black in Japanese.
MINT NEKO stays neutral with dark colors and simple styles.
Currently, MINT is trying to market his brand in the U.S. The sizes in Japan and America are different, but a lot of MINT’s apparel are oversized and should fit most people.
MINT NEKO currently has three stores in Japan with plans to open another in the near future. MINT also plans to debut in England.
MINT NEKO’s line consists of a lot of black with a limited color palette. His aesthetic is very minimal in terms of color, but he compensates for it in cat designs and accent pieces such as plaid pants and tulle skirts.
MINT’s aesthetic aligns well with the oversized trend that has been happening for quite some time in Asia and recently in the West. The trend has been around for a few seasons in America, but it is still steadily coasting through the runways.
Clearly the trend is here to stay. Maybe designers and trendsetters are finally taking notes from street style in Japan.
