New collection created in partnership with six Tokyo-based men's brands.

Sanrio has unveiled a series of new fashion collaborations that bring its Hello Kitty brand to the menswear aisle.

First announced as part of the brand's 40th anniversary last year, the Hello Kitty Men project is now ready for its debut. Six Tokyo men's brands have created 12 Hello Kitty products targeted to fashion-conscious men and include fashion labels Undercover, Sise, Jam Home Made, Dresscamp, Patchy Cake Eater and Yoshio Kubo.

"In the 40 years since Hello Kitty was born, the character has been thought of as something that is just for girls, but now we hear from men in their 20s and 30s who don't view it as particularly 'girly,'" says Yuko Yamaguchi, designer, Hello Kitty. "Looking toward the next generation, I think we must have fans among men as well as women. It was quite a challenge to design Hello Kitty with men in mind, and I'm really satisfied with how well all of these collaboration items manage to express the various brand colors. Our aim is to create a whole Hello Kitty Men world, incorporating not just fashion but art and various other fields."