Highsnobiety

Kaws

REAL NAME

Brian Donnelly

BORN

1974

BASED

Brooklyn, New York

INSTAGRAM

WHAT IS THE KAWS COMPANION?

The KAWS companion first appeared in 1999 when Japanese streetwear brand Bounty Hunter approach Donnelly. The companion first appeared only in brown, gray and black colorways. The vinyl Mickey Mouse style figure with X’ed out eyes was limited to 500 pieces and sold out quickly. From quirky hybrids with iconic pop culture figures to 4ft figurines, the KAWS companion has made its mark on the streetwear world and can be spotted in the collections of some of the hottest stars ike Kanye and beyond, and on many an apparel item.

1990S

KAWS inherits a key from friend and fellow graffiti artist, Barry Mcgee allowing him to access bus shelters and phone booths to subvert billboards. He moves on to include subway ads and billboards across in New York, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin and other major cities, gaining some notoriety among the street art movement and subsequently the streetwear community.

1999

The companion makes its first appearance with Japanese toy and streetwear brand Bounty Hunter.

2003

KAWS gains notoriety for his The Kimpsons project, a parody on the Simpsons, with characters rocking the trademarked crossed out eyes.

2005

Donnelly creates The KAWS album, a parody of The Beatles’ iconic 1967 album cover, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It shows the Kimpsons, lined up all with the iconic XX over their eyes.

2006

KAWS and Medicom Toy open OriginalFake, a brand and store in Aoyama. The store ran until 2013. The brand boasted a collection of collabs including Supreme (feat. Kate Moss) and long-term friend and collaborator Nigo’s BAPE.

2008

KAWS gains global exposure with a special edition artwork for Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak album.

2010

KAWS releases a tome of his artwork. The release with Rizzoli was the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s work, comprised of works spanning 1993 – 2010.

2011

KAWS teams up with The Standard on a set of collectible light bulbs that featured a filament in the shape of the artist’s double-X motif.

Donning the iconic color scheme, KAWS designs a special bottle for Hennessy VS cognac.

2012

Companion graces the streets of New York City as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2013

The artist redesigns the iconic MTV VMA Moonman award. The first time it has been reworked in 30 years, it received the iconic skull and crossbones, the companion gloves and a gunmetal finish.

2014

The artist collaborates with COMME des GARÇONS to create the artwork for Pharrell William’s signature Girl fragrance.

2016

NIGO first recruits the artist to collaborate on a series of affordable T-shirts for UNIQLO. The pair continue to bring the KAWS treatment to well known characters including Peanuts and Sesame Street.

2017

The collaboration that streetwear lovers and sneakerheads were waiting for: KAWS x Jordan.

The MoMA in New York releases limited supplies of a $200 companion figure. The site crashes due to traffic.

2019

A 121-foot-long inflatable version of KAWS’ companion is installed in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour during Art Basel. Anchored by a 40-ton weight, versions of the piece — dubbed KAWS: HOLIDAY — were previously on view in Seoul and Taipei.

KAWS’ Kimpsons sells for a record-breaking $14.7 million at Sotheby’s.

Latest Stories

  • WSR main dec 13 2

    From Stüssy to KAWS, Shop This Week’s Best Sneaker Releases

    • Sneakers
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    KAWS' Latest Nike Shoes Are Shockingly Simple

    • Sneakers
  • kaws companion

    Here Are the Best KAWS Companions to Buy at Resale

    • Art & Design
  • A KAWS BFF sits near a UNIQLO x KAWS T-shirt and book

    What Party? KAWS x UNIQLO 2023 Party

    • Style
  • nike jordan 4

    The Jordan 4 Deserves More Praise & Here Are 10 Reasons Why

    • Sneakers
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    The Brooklyn Nets' City Edition Uniforms Got KAWS'd

    • Culture
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Can KAWS Get People Excited About NIGO's Human Made Again?

    • Style
  • kaws x tnf

    This Is Your Last Call to Bag the KAWS x TNF Himalayan Parka on Sale

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Sorry, These KAWS x Air Jordan 1 Lows Aren’t for Sale

    • Sneakers
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    The North Face & KAWS' Second Collab Is an Odyssey

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    The Forecast Calls for a Chance of KAWS x The North Face Part 2

    • Style
  • kidrobot figures

    Forget KAWS Companions, Kidrobot Is Our Latest Obsession

    • Art & Design

Kaws Highlights

  • icons kaws feature 3 living legends origins

    How KAWS Turned Subversive Street Art Into Something Everyone Wants

    • Design
  • originalfake piece feature KAWS

    How KAWS & OriginalFake Helped Shape Streetwear As We Know It

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titel Media GmbH (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titel Media GmbH strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titel Media GmbH tests, remediates and maintains the Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.