American artist and designer Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS, is taking his partnership with UNIQLO to the next level. The street pop art icon has been named the brand’s first-ever artist in residence, marking a milestone that could push his reach further into global museums and the retail giant’s hundreds of stores.
In this new role, KAWS will help UNIQLO expand its “Art for All” philosophy by curating art events worldwide and working closely with the brand’s museum partners. He will also contribute to the development of new LifeWear products, with the first collection set to arrive in Fall/Winter 2025.
“I am thrilled to be taking this next step with my longtime partner UNIQLO to become the brand’s first Artist in Residence,” Donnelly said in the statement. “In this role, I hope to tap into the art community and global creatives to curate the next generation of UNIQLO collaborators. I am looking forward to working on exciting new kinds of LifeWear.”
The collaboration adds to KAWS’ reputation for embedding his work everywhere — from Clipse’s Let God Sort ’Em Out album cover this year to appearances with K-pop idols like J-Hope. His beginnings in New York street art, defacing ads with his cross-eyed characters, eventually snowballed into a cult following. Early toys he designed with Japanese brand Bounty Hunter in the late ‘90s retailed for under $100 but now fetch prices ten times higher on resale.
KAWS and UNIQLO first teamed up in 2016 for Uniqlo’s graphic tee line UT with a Sesame Street-themed collection, which sold out globally and solidified their partnership. Nearly a decade later, the artist’s residency signals how UNIQLO is betting on art-driven collaborations — not just as merchandise, but as cultural events with worldwide reach.
