She has been a fashion icon for 34 years, has lived in London, is currently
a tourism ambassador for Japan, and while her obsessive fan base may be 7-34, there’s no question that she transcends age and generations.
She is cute and sweet,
but has an edgy side and a celebrity following that would intimidate any Hollywood actor. Hello Kitty continues her reign as an international pop culture phenomenon by stepping into a bold new stride as the face of a glamourous and exclusive collection for none other than M·A·C Cosmetics. Somewhere between a coy girl and sexy siren, M·A·C Hello Kitty represents the desire in all of us to be both innocent and mischievous.
More Angelina Jolie than Shirley Temple,
the feisty new colour collection takes its inspiration from the complex, yet elegantly feminine sensibility. In keeping with Hello Kitty’s lifelong mission of putting a smile on your face, it incorporates a collection of exclusive, limited-edition accessories that will appeal to both M·A·C addicts and Hello Kitty-obsessed fans.
The M·A·C Hello Kitty
packaging is very graphic and fashion-forward, the makeup colours are inspired by what was seen on the runways for spring. Plus, the true glamour girl won’t be able to resist Hello Kitty Kouture, available in only limited distribution, a luxurious sidebar collection that features chic packaging accented with glittering Swarovski crystals and an extra opulent design. Hello Kitty Kouture is definitely this season’s most coveted collectors dream!
Q&A with Jennifer Balbier SVP Product Development, M·A·C Worldwide
How did the M·A·C Hello Kitty partnership inspire your own
product development process?
To me, M·A·C Hello Kitty embodies the ultimate beauty icon: No one is more alluring yet incredibly cute and at the same time appeals to a wider range of customers than she does, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Hello Kitty is the ultimate girly girl and guys like her too. She is coy and I couldn’t help but be reminded of how you never really know what she’s thinking. We wanted to reflect that mysterious quality through a sweet side, but also something slightly mischievous when it came to the colours. I started out by creating a palette of pinks, since they fit and always trend well in the spring, but we also incorporated black into the collection to give it a sophisticated edge as well, and moved forward from there.
Can you tell us more about who this girl is?
I see her as a playful, coquettish girly girl with a rocker edge, but she also likes to pamper and take care of herself. I think the actual products evolved to
reflect this character.
In terms of the makeup collection, what does she look like?
Since Hello Kitty does not have a visible mouth, the first quality that came to mind is that she must have lashes that make a statement:
They are wispy, flirtatious, and crisscross -- because she is all about batting her lashes. It’s so much about the eyes that we did two eye shadow quads that combine classic, more traditional colours such as a smoky, taupe brown and a slightly sparkly black with shades that really pop, like turquoise and a violet, bright plum juxtaposed with coral and a hot, hot pink which is very playful. We incorporated glitter eye liners because she loves anything that twinkles, and we took the coral and hot pink theme and did pretty, poppy blush. Playing on pink is a nod to her girliness but it is less of a baby pink and more of a grown-up fuchsia shade. To appeal to the younger Hello Kitty fan we created these fabulous lip conditioners in colours like yellow pink and dusky rose that were all over the runways, and made the gloss extremely translucent by taking the heavy pigment out and making it almost see-through and dimensional, reminiscent of cellophane. We didn’t think that a matte lip properly represented M·A·C Hello Kitty’s feminine nature, so we created products that project glaze and lustre by skipping the sumptuous, sensuous mouth that could be perceived as heavy or campy and opting for light and glossy instead. The collection is for all ages, but it’s about a younger attitude. It is light, fresh and fun.
Tell us more about those sharp lacquered nails.
Nails are very important to her! We’ve created an amazing pepto-pink, and a really special flat grey. There is also a beautiful stark white.
People will love wearing all the shades and they’re absolutely perfect for spring.
and James Gager SVP/Creative Director, M·A·C Worldwide
Why M·A·C and Hello Kitty? What is the connection?
First of all, both M·A·C and Hello Kitty are globally loved. There are Hello Kitty-obsessed fans and M·A·C addicts, and both represent high-end as well as street fashion, inexpensive items and couture. Each brand represents a pop culture phenomenon. M·A·C’s incredibly coveted limited edition collections coupled with the public’s 30 plus-year addiction to all things Hello Kitty makes the partnership a no-brainer.
When you first encountered the project, what was your inspiration?
SANRIO didn’t come to us. We went after them! We simply felt that there was a great synergy that existed between us. Of course, we considered the idea that for all of the interesting partnerships they’ve participated in they had never done makeup before, and I was certain that all those women who already own a bit of Hello Kitty would also want to own branded makeup. Hello Kitty is completely universal: Millions of people are in love with her and they can’t get enough.
Who is the M·A·C Hello Kitty girl?
She is absolutely our customer, and she’s unusual in that she could be 14 or 75 years old. Within that broad range of women (and even men I should say), you’ll find an individual that loves to play with makeup in an offbeat, original way.
The Hello Kitty beauty visuals shot by Nick Knight are stunning.
Can you tell us about the two images?
The more ethereal image is of the blonde holding a black vinyl Hello Kitty doll that we’ll sell as part of the accessory line.
We were imagining this wonderful, almost Alice in Wonderland - like character with a definite M·A·C edge, standing there looking at this doll and wondering what she encompasses. If you look at the other visual, it’s more of a dominatrix, va va voom, fetish kind of creature; and each of these two characters is wondering what it might be like to transform into the other, which is how we show that makeup can be incredibly transformative. Overall, it’s an Alice in Wonderland meets Wizard of Oz fairy tale narrative.
There are a lot of fun accessories that will accompany the M·A·C Hello Kitty Colour Collection. How did you come up with the packaging and concepts?
The accessories collection is both cool and affordable. Additionally, we have created Hello Kitty Kouture, a very exclusive, limited edition luxe line done with Swarovski crystals. We worked very closely with Hello Kitty’s parent company, SANRIO, to develop the accessories and the idea behind the line. We have something for everyone! Personally, I love the adorable Hello Kitty Plush Doll, and there’s also a black bracelet with three charms, makeup mirrors, a brush holder, makeup bags, and a tote that’s printed in a Pucci-esque pattern among other items. And that brings me to the packaging of the entire M·A·C Hello Kitty collection: It’s very graphic and fashion-forward. In fact, all of the makeup colours in the collection have come from runway trends for spring and the collection connotes a very glamourous vibe that plays up the more fashionable aspects of a woman. It’s fun, too. Most importantly, we are certain that this collaboration will put a smile on people’s faces!
Say “Hello,” Hello Kitty!
Little Tidbits You May Not Have Known About Our Girl, Hello Kitty!
Perhaps the biggest misconception about the world’s most popular kitty is that, well, she’s a cat. She is in fact a girl- albeit a forever young girl celebrating her 35th anniversary next year - who lives with her family in London. But wait, there’s more: To celebrate the M·A·C Hello Kitty partnership, we decided to take a closer look at this complex pop culture and fashion icon in order to give you the inside scoop on everybody’s favourite kitty (errr, we mean girl). Turns out, she’s a lot more than scented erasers and pink glitter!
Known celebrity fans of Hello Kitty include Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Diddy, Courtney Love, Cameron Diaz, Mariah Carey, Carmen Electra, Dakota Fanning, Heidi Klum, Lindsay Lohan, Mandy Moore, Kelly Osbourne, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kimora Lee Simmons, the High School Musical Kids, Miley Cyrus, Raven Symone, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and Steven Tyler, but we’re sure there are plenty of “closeted” ones out there as well.
Hello Kitty has been around for 34 years (born in 1974), but still looks fabulously youthful, thanks to excellent genes!
She has an edgy side: Artists from around the world, including French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and American graffiti artist Ryan McGinley, contributed to a 2004 exhibit of Hello Kitty-inspired subversive art. You may have also seen artist Tom Sachs' Hello Kitty-inspired bronzes recently at Lever House in New York City!
In 2004, near England's Stonehenge, hip New York art collective Surface to Air created a crop circle in the shape of Hello Kitty's face so that it would be visible to aircraft traveling to and from London's Heathrow airport.
Hello Kitty doesn’t have a visible mouth because she speaks from her heart, she isn't bound to any one particular language!
She collects: Small, cute objects like ribbons, hair accessories, candy, stars, goldfish, etc.
Hello Kitty was even further propelled into the iconosphere riding high on the wave of "Kawaii" culture in Japan. Sociologists note that Hello Kitty has both benefited from and helped fuel a cultural shift in Japan during the past generation, which has encouraged personal expression, sharing, and relaxation. So in essence, Hello Kitty is good for the soul as well as the economy!
She has a darling boyfriend named Dear Daniel and a twin sister named Mimmy, who always wears a yellow bow on the right side of her head (Hello Kitty wears a red bow on the left).
Hello Kitty is as "tall as five apples" and "weighs three apples."
Hello Kitty's official hobbies include traveling, music, reading, eating yummy cookies her sister Mimmy bakes, and best of all, making new friends!
About Sanrio
SANRIO develops, distributes and licenses a collection of gift, stationery and fashion accessory items for women of all ages. SANRIO was founded in 1960 based on the concept that a small gift can bring a big smile to a child of any age. Today, over 50,000 SANRIO-branded items are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In the Western Hemisphere SANRIO character-branded products are sold in upwards of 12,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 85 SANRIO boutiques. For more information, please visit www.sanrio.com
About M·A·C Cosmetics
M·A·C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), a leading brand of professional cosmetics, was created in Toronto, Canada in 1984 and is part of The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. The company’s popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from makeup artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. M·A·C is now sold in over 65 countries worldwide. For M·A·C locations visit www.maccosmetics.com.
