Strawberry Western x Chibi Maruko-chan Turns Childhood Memory Into Something to Keep

 

The New York label returns to the world of Chibi Maruko-chan with a playful second release shaped by family, nostalgia and the enduring language of kawaii culture.

 

For Strawberry Western co-founder and creative director Kisa Shiga, Chibi Maruko-chan was never simply a familiar cartoon character. Growing up between New York and Himeji, Shiga encountered Maruko through a family ritual. Her mother first read Momoko Sakura’s manga while learning Japanese, then shared those same stories with Kisa as a child.

That personal connection gives the second chapter of the Strawberry Western x Chibi Maruko-chan collaboration its emotional centre. Rather than treating nostalgia as a decorative reference, the New York brand turns it into clothing and everyday objects designed to be worn, used and kept.

The new drop introduces the Chibi Maruko Chan Sweet Shopper Tank, Carryall Bag and Towel. Maruko’s unmistakable illustrations appear across practical, playful forms that bring together Strawberry Western’s affection for Japanese subcultures, functional design and collectible fashion.

Photographed by Krissanun Rodloy and styled and directed by Siraya Petchpul, the campaign surrounds the collection with gingham, fruit and sun-washed domestic details. The result feels somewhere between a childhood memory and a vividly styled summer afternoon.

Founded by Shiga and Eli Libman, Strawberry Western has developed its identity around the meeting point of kawaii culture, Western clothing and Japanese visual language. The collaboration feels particularly timely in 2026, as Chibi Maruko-chan celebrates 40 years since Momoko Sakura began the original manga in 1986.

What makes the partnership convincing is its sincerity. This is not simply a recognisable character placed on a product. It is a story about how cultural images move through families, languages and generations, eventually becoming something we choose to carry with us.

The second Strawberry Western x Chibi Maruko-chan collection is available online now.

DiscoverEditorStrawberry Western, Chibi Maruko-chan, Kisa Shiga, kawaii fashion, Japanese fashion, fashion collaboration, New York designers, character fashion, collectible fashion, contemporary streetwear