Anime and luxury fashion: Studio Ghibli and Loewe’s unorthodox brand merchandizing

Gournelos, Theodore; Marutschke, David

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132436 Copy

Description

Title

Anime and luxury fashion: Studio Ghibli and Loewe’s unorthodox brand merchandizing

Author(s)

• Gournelos, Theodore
• Marutschke, David

Issue Date

2025-12-16

Keyword(s)

• Studio Ghibli
• Anime
• Luxury
• Branding
• Merchandizing

Abstract

While they might seem counterintuitive to traditional concepts of “luxury,” collaborations between luxury and anime brands are a growing pattern reflecting the growth of both industries for key demographics. This paper argues that luxury brands use these collaborations to establish brand relevance and cultural connection while also positioning themselves advantageously against other brands in an increasingly social and online environment. Through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of Instagram posts and user comments from Studio Ghibli and the Spanish luxury brand Loewe regarding their three product collaborations, we argue that there is a significant amount of room for differentiation in the space. In this case, it is focused not on anime fans in general, but instead on consumers interested in the luxury market that also happen to enjoy anime. We suggest that these collaborations are not intended to massify luxury audiences outside of their existing consumers, but instead to generate additional value and interest in the brand’s luxury identity for coveted young demographics with a global perspective and potential influence.

Series/Report Name or Number

The Journal of Anime and Manga Studies, volume 6 issue 2

Type of Resource

text

Genre of Resource

Articles

Language

eng

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jams.v6.1974

Copyright and License Information

• Copyright 2025 Theodore Gournelos, David Marutschke
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).

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