Nakano Darling is a restaurant instantly recognisable through it’s unique Japanese hospitality and energy. We were taken by their sense of friendliness and it’s efforts to stand out from other fixtures around the increasingly bustling Darling Square scene in Sydney. Through our love of Japanese fashion and music and wanted to create an event that brought that to the center.

The concept of our event is 90’s kitsch, taking everyday ideas and motifs from Tokyo culture lifestyle and bringing it to the present. We were inspired by it’s youth culture in magazines, graphic design and fashion to create a tribute to this era.

NAKANO & AME Design Labs inc. is a visual partnership between both brands, inspired by forward-thinking designers of the 1990s. Our signature logo sticker was recreated from similar elements used in Japanese food department stores for various foods on display.

Our collaborative cap was designed to reference archival logos and streetwear culture that was popularised in the 90s by pioneers of Japanese fashion. They are durable, but will also age beautifully as you wear it to eventually reflect the period. We pushed to create something that was both timeless, while also having immediate recognition to it’s inspired era.

In line with this, our visual gallery, videos and posters were a nod to Japanese TV and print. The photo and graphic design elements are a tribute to culture magazines documenting Tokyo fashion scenes which emphasized dynamic movement, color and shapes.

Our video releases are a group of bumpers reminiscent of inbetween programming shorts that gave glimpses into Japanese TV and lifestyle. We wanted them to create the sense that the featured actors were realized characters in a short amount of time.

Visit NAKANO DARLING in Sydney for the full collaboration event experience, including free stickers, physical poster gallery, and the advance physical-first release* of the limited NAKANO CONNECTING FRIENDS & FAMILY Cap from January 16-23.