Pokémon’s 25th birthday celebrations continue with Selfridges toy-space takeovers

The Pokémon Company International has taken over part of Selfridges’ toy space in three UK stores.

The pop-up activation, which launched on December 13 and will run until the end of January, forms part of the final celebrations of the yearlong celebration of the brand’s 25th anniversary.

Special branded areas have been created at the Selfridges stores on Oxford Street in London, in Birmingham’s Bullring and in the Trafford Centre in Manchester, to promote the Pokémon range in-store and provide a fun and immersive experience for fans of all ages. In addition to a wide selection of Pokémon products, the activation also offers great photo opportunities, including costume character visits to the Oxford Street store

The Pokémon spaces have a Pikachu motif — the iconic Pokémon has been the face of the 25th anniversary. Its bright yellow image can be seen on displays and shelving, as well as digital screens that share promotional content from the different Pokémon brand pillars.

Winner of Best Gaming Licensed Property at the 2021 Licensing Awards, Pokémon is offering a wide range of product across the pop-ups, including special 25th anniversary items.

On display are toys from Jazwares (distributed by Character Options), including an exciting relaunch of the volcano-themed backpack playset, as well as new silver figurines and Pokémon plush. Construction sets from Mattel, collectibles from the Wand Company and Funko Pop! exclusives are also available. The Wand Company’s new Poké Balls feature their latest release, the Dusk Ball replica, while new Funko Pop! Pokémon include silver metallic anniversary figurines.

The new launch from the market-leading Pokémon Trading Card Game is also available. Pokémon TCG: Celebrations commemorates 25 years of the brand and includes remakes of classic TCG cards. Jointly featured is the newly released Sword & Shield—Fusion Strike expansion.

“We are delighted to team up once more with Selfridges for this exciting activity,” says Mathieu Galante, Licensing Director (EMEA) forThe Pokémon Company International. “We have had an amazing year as we’ve celebrated our 25th anniversary and there could be no better way to conclude the festivities than with this takeover in such a prestigious store. We’re sure fans old and new will be thrilled with what’s on offer when they visit these fun and vibrant Pokémon pop-ups.”

The takeover follows a successful collaboration with Selfridges in 2018, at its flagship Oxford Street store, which featured a branded wall, exclusive merchandise and a special event.

Yahoo Ryot Lab, Charli Cohen and Selfridges create virtual 3D experience for limited edition Charli Cohen x Pokémon collection

Axel Arigato debuts limited-edition capsule collection celebrating Pokémon’s 25th anniversary

To mark its quarter-century, Pokémon has joined forces with Swedish label Axel Arigato for a nostalgic, streetwear-inspired capsule collection with a contemporary twist.

Pokémon has become one of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world since it first took the world by storm in 1996, and now Axel Arigato is venturing into the ​​Pokémon universe by releasing a limited-edition capsule collection online today and in select standalone stores. The collection features some of the franchise’s most iconic Pokémon – Gengar, Charizard, Meowth and Pikachu – across both ready-to-wear and sneakers.

Drawing inspiration from the passion of Pokémon’s diverse fanbase, the accompanying promotional campaign captures the loyalty of the community, placing the members, and their archival collections, front and centre. Shot in New York, the Axel Arigato x Pokémon capsule is brought to life through the real-life portrayal of Pokémon fans and their collections.

The ready-to-wear collection blends iconic Pokémon with the contemporary Axel Arigato branding. Through a playfulness in logo application as well as a nod to the London Flagship store, the range marries retro iconography with modern silhouettes and tailoring.

The footwear offering consists of The Clean 90 Triple – a minimalist silhouette detailed with contrasting elements – and the Genesis Vintage Runner, a retro-inspired sneaker set on a lightweight modern streamlined sole which has become a bestseller.

Organic cotton hoodies and t-shirts in the brand’s seasonless colour palette of black, Belgian block and beige are available as well as a denim jacket and jean set, inspired by the outfit worn by Pikachu’s best friend, Ash Ketchum. The collection is limited and only available at Axel Arigato stores in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Gothenburg, and online at axelarigato.com.

Axel Arigato debuts limited-edition capsule collection celebrating Pokémon’s 25th anniversary

To mark its quarter-century, Pokémon has joined forces with Swedish label Axel Arigato for a nostalgic, streetwear-inspired capsule collection with a contemporary twist.

Pokémon has become one of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world since it first took the world by storm in 1996, and now Axel Arigato is venturing into the ​​Pokémon universe by releasing a limited-edition capsule collection online today and in select standalone stores. The collection features some of the franchise’s most iconic Pokémon – Gengar, Charizard, Meowth and Pikachu – across both ready-to-wear and sneakers.

Drawing inspiration from the passion of Pokémon’s diverse fanbase, the accompanying promotional campaign captures the loyalty of the community, placing the members, and their archival collections, front and centre. Shot in New York, the Axel Arigato x Pokémon capsule is brought to life through the real-life portrayal of Pokémon fans and their collections.

The ready-to-wear collection blends iconic Pokémon with the contemporary Axel Arigato branding. Through a playfulness in logo application as well as a nod to the London Flagship store, the range marries retro iconography with modern silhouettes and tailoring.

The footwear offering consists of The Clean 90 Triple – a minimalist silhouette detailed with contrasting elements – and the Genesis Vintage Runner, a retro-inspired sneaker set on a lightweight modern streamlined sole which has become a bestseller.

Organic cotton hoodies and t-shirts in the brand’s seasonless colour palette of black, Belgian block and beige are available as well as a denim jacket and jean set, inspired by the outfit worn by Pikachu’s best friend, Ash Ketchum. The collection is limited and only available at Axel Arigato stores in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Gothenburg, and online at axelarigato.com.

Yahoo Ryot Lab, Charli Cohen and Selfridges create virtual 3D experience for limited edition Charli Cohen x Pokémon collection

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon, Yahoo Ryot Lab – Yahoo’s immersive storytelling production house – has partnered with Selfridges and London-based fashion designer Charli Cohen to launch Electric/City, an innovative “cyberpunk” online shopping experience. The collaboration gives fans exclusive access to browse and buy limited-edition garments from the Charli Cohen x Pokémon range, as well as an exclusive Charli Cohen digital-only range.

The digital environment enables fans to discover the Charli Cohen collections through an immersive, 360-degree video experience, where shoppers can explore within a “cyberpunk” take on fashion capitals around the world, decorated with neon signs inspired by and celebrating the iconic Pokémon character, Pikachu. Hotspots within the virtual world will enable fans to buy items from the Pokémon physical collection to be delivered to their home.

Working in collaboration with Charli Cohen, as well as partners BlockV, Wolf 3D and Aircards, Yahoo Ryot Lab has created an additional bespoke digital Charli Cohen collection, separate from the Pokémon collection, for fans to purchase exclusively in the 3D, immersive virtual store that can be accessed in browsers across mobile and desktop at ElectricCity.co. Digital Charli Cohen garments purchased in Electric/City will be redeemed into an account-secured web-based digital wallet, provided by BlockV, that will enable them to be on show for new owners across different digital platforms.

The Charli Cohen x Pokémon physical collection unlocks:

  • Snapchat: Fans can celebrate the 25th anniversary using an exclusive snap lens attached to every garment

The Charli Cohen digital garments unlock:

  • ReadyPlayerMe: Fans can create their own avatars with Charli Cohengarments to view in AR and share socially, as well as being able to use the wider Charli Cohen collection for their virtual avatars across 500+ other virtual platforms, including VRChat, Somnium Space and Mozilla Hubs.
  • Snapchat: Fans can alsodigitally wear a Charli Cohen outfit with an AR body tracking Snapchat lens.

“We are focused on helping creators and brands bring their immersive experiences to life across the metaverse,” says Sam Field, Director of Creative Technology, EMEA at Yahoo. “Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen huge consumer demand for immersive experiences. For Electric/City, we’ve built what we call a Brandiverse: a hybrid of emerging technologies that create immersive brand experiences at scale. This project combines 3D virtual environments, 4K video streaming, 3D design software for digital clothing, motion capture, blockchain-enabled digital collectibles, augmented reality and more. As an industry rooted in innovation, our Brandiverse is a natural fit for fashion brands – embracing the power of immersive storytelling to allow people to explore their identity through fashion in new ways and throughout their physical and digital lives. The combination of The Pokémon Company International, Charli Cohen’s focus on tech-inspired fashion, and a retail powerhouse like Selfridges makes for an incredibly exciting collaboration.”

 

 

 

 

The Pokémon Company extends Casio partnership for new BABY-G women’s watch

The Pokémon Company and the international watchmaker, Casio have expanded on a collaborative partnership to welcome the fan-favourite Pokémon, Pikachu to the firm’s popular line-up of BABY-G women’s watches.

The latest collaboration follows on from the success of a partnership established last year that celebrated BABY-G’s 25th anniversary. The latest partnership will introduce an analog-digital watch with an outdoor theme, representing the active image of the BABY-G brand.

The band of the watch model – BA110PKC-4A – showcases a camouflage pattern and female Pikachu with a heart-shaped tail.

The Pikachu design is also infused with subtle details like the silhouette of the pink tail on the strap keeper and the Pikachu image etched on the case back. The hour and minute hands also evoke the face of Pikachu, a playful touch that will delight the wearer whenever they check the time.

As part of the release, BABY-G has unveiled a special landing page taking consumers through the features, which can be accessed here.

In addition to special packaging inspired by the Poké Ball, the BA110PKC-4A also comes equipped with Casio’s G-SHOCK technology including.

The BA110PKC-4A will retail for $150/£139/€149 and be available for purchase this February at select retailers, the G-SHOCK Soho Store NYC, and gshock.com.