PARK Harajuku has just announced the newest addition to their series of monthly souvenir t-shirts, Tokyo EMOtee. This time, they’ve paired up with artist and designer Chikuwa Miel to explore the meaning of the word “Precious” and design a shirt that expresses the very essence of the word. The shirts are being promoted a slogan that solidifies the concept; ” In the chaotic Tokyo, you are my precious.”
The shirt’s design is very light an angelic, with an ethereal, two-tone color palette of bright yellow and baby blue. The artwork shows two characters with their eyes closed, perhaps focused on what is most precious to them, seemingly conjuring that vibe into the space around them. The design is so calm, yet a little bit chaotic, with flowers and plant life blooming and little animal-like figures floating around. If you look closely, you can see a smartphone and what appears to be fried eggs somewhere in the mix. I think Chikuwa Miel and PARK Harajuku did a really interesting job of expressing the precious calm among the chaos.
Chikuwa Miel is a Japan-based illustrator and designer whose style typically looks traditionally drawn, with hardly any empty spaces on the canvas. Chikuwa Miel’s art seems to tell a story reminiscent of the bedtime stories I would read when I was a little kid. You can check out more of Chikuwa Miel’s art on their Twitter.
素敵な企画ありがとうございます🌟☪︎⋆｡˚✩
すべてアナログ絵です🌙#第13回_月と星と夜空のTwitterシェア企画展 pic.twitter.com/NI7ba7bqdI— ちくわミエル (@chikuwamiel) July 7, 2019
The goal of the monthly EMOtee shirts is to promote the real emotions that exist in the bustling city of Tokyo, beneath the top visible layer of chaos. This movement is in preparation for the influx of tourists that will come to see the 2020 Olympics. PARK Harajuku currently has the shirt and promotional photos on display in a corner of their shop. Additionally, PARK Harajuku frequently has small photo galleries and the sorts on display at their shop. It’s worth stopping by to check it out!
✨👼本日発売スタート👼✨
7月の #東京エモTee
感情のテーマは【尊い】で
デザインは ちくわミエルさん(@chikuwamiel)です🥺💞
店頭&通販にて本日発売スタートです🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻【TOKYO precious Tee】
「In the chaotic Tokyo, you are my precious.」🛒 通販はコチラ ⏬https://t.co/1M8d1nQ7o6 pic.twitter.com/QPZeIi2yH8
— PARK (@PARK_HARAJUKU) July 6, 2019