UNIQLO, MFA Boston Celebrate 10-Year Partnership with New Collab

UNIQLO’s new collaboration brings ukiyo-e woodblock prints to life via t-shirt prints.

July 13, 2020

Apparel retailer UNIQLO has teamed with the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, for a new line of t-shirts inspired by ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

The collection incorporates six designs from works by two ukiyo-e masters, including the “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” series by Katsushika Hokusai and “landscapes” by Utagawa Hiroshige. The collection retails for $14.90 and is available in a full range of adult sizes.

For UNIQLO, the t-shirts add to MFA Boston’s long-running collaboration with the retailer. The two companies have collaborated three times over the last 10 years.

UNIQLO worked with the MFA’s curators to select designs for the collection. Inspiration for the prints was drawn from the Museum’s collection of more than 50,000 ukiyo-e print.

Ukiyo-e prints were mass-produced commercial products; the artist was only responsible for drawing the design. Wooden blocks – one for each color, in the case of color prints – were carved by professional block cutters, and prints were made from the blocks

by professional printers. Ukiyo-e thrived during the Edo Period in Japan (1603–1868).

UNIQLO has a long history of unique collaboration outside of its work with MFA Boston. Just this year, the company has announced collabs with the likes of

Billie Eilish

and

“Pokemon.”