NANA x Vivienne Westwood Collaboration Announced for the 25th Anniversary of Stunning Fashion Manga

Oct 14

If you’re a fashion enthusiast and a shoujo manga fan, you’ve read or watched NANA.

If you haven’t immersed yourself in the world of NANA, cue the Gwen Stefani hit, because what are you waiting for?

Author Ai Yazawa started her manga NANA twenty years into her mangaka career, starting with short stories and working her way up to the sob fests she is most known for: NANA, Paradise Kiss, Neighborhood Story, and more.

An avid fashion fan herself, Yazawa attended fashion school Osaka Mode Gakuen as an aspiring stylist before moving to Tokyo to become a mangaka, spurred by her love for sketching from a young age.

NANA has become one of the most referenced mangas in the fashion sphere, contributing to Vivienne Westwood’s allure worldwide.

Summary:

High school dropout Nana Osaki and hopeless romantic Nana Komatsu meet each other on a train going into Tokyo. Singer Nana Osaki journeys to start anew (readjusting after her ex-boyfriend joins a new band) and Nana Komatsu to achieve her dream of the big city life and finding love.

The manga explores girlhood, young love, and the generation of punk youth. Crafting personal identity and navigating friendships are at the core of this manga, and any young adult can relate to the polar opposite Nanas and their struggles.

Review:

My first introduction to the manga series NANA was most likely from Pinterest. A fashion girlie on the hunt for punk inspired fashion, perhaps. Of course, I must attribute the true love for NANA to my friend Belle, who bought me the first few volumes and reignited my love for fashion and girlhood.

I read the first few manga volumes I owned and then hopped onto the VIZ Media app. Then I cried into the night. VIZ Media stops carrying the chapters when it becomes slightly more mature. So then, I naturally read it on a sketchy site and cried in poor. (Because I spent all my money on Vivienne Westwood).

Then, I realized… the most fashionable and perfect manga? Not finished. Had not been finished in a very long time. And I wondered, will it ever be finished?

Maybe not. But I would ask you…

Are you waiting for it to be finished to start reading it? DON’T. Read it right now. Because you only live once. And you will live better having read or watched the critically acclaimed magnum opus NANA. The main story has been on hold since 2009 when the author fell ill. (In 2013, a chapter was published, but it was a side-story chapter, so we will not count that).

However, if you are going in unprepared, prepare yourself for Shinichi’s edgy flick of the Vivienne Westwood orb lighter, the precious crystalline relationship of Nanas’ friendship, and the sweetest strawberry-bitter taste of disappointment. For it is not only inspiring, warm-hearted, and filled with beautiful punk fashion from Vivienne Westwood, but it is unfortunately a testament of sad realities.

And maybe we will make it to the 30th anniversary with a finished manga. You never know.

Vivienne Westwood’s Influence

Needless to say, the VIZ Media manga publication has been successful. The punk and strawberry duo of Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu became a fan favorite and was adapted into an anime by Madhouse Studios in 2006 (responsible for Deathnote, Devil May Cry, One Punch Man, and Frieren).

A bus to New York and a chase down the sidewalk led me to Vivienne Westwood in December 0f 2023. “Culi”— a stylish man dripped out and wearing an eyepatch— handed over the necklace and watch I wear currently. (RIP my bank account and my credit card). However, this attitude of prioritizing the drip I will easily blame on Nana Komatsu. After all, she would rather survive on cigarettes and Westwood than go without. And so do I (although I’ll sub the cigarettes for coffee).

Unofficial Vivienne Westwood Collaborations: NANA Orb Lighter

If you’ve seen some NANA x Vivienne Westwood items before, beware.

They’re either not official, or they’re very rare and expensive.

Information on the true Vivienne Westwood orb lighter release is hard to verify. ChicnahueCoatl491 on Reddit offers that 700 or so silver orb lighters were produced and 5,000 or so in gold. Fashion content creator addyharajuku believes 5,000-1,5000 orb lighters were made in both gold and silver. Without delving into the research, I cannot verify.

It seems these official orb lighters by Vivienne Westwood were produced in the mid to late 1990s and have been priced at $5,000 minimum and hard to find.

They have a VW engraving for authenticity’s sake, a keychain, a case, and a serial number. They often need repairs or are deemed unusable, but they are a cool piece of fashion history to collect regardless.

Many resellers in the saturated market have made duplicates to satisfy the desire to own one. They were made and used as fashion “cosplay” in the mid to late 2ooos. One release of such orb lighters had a Nana branded box and authenticity card. These orb lighters weren’t made with the best materials and often broke according to buyers. Regardless, this unofficial NANA x Vivienne Westwood orb lighter—supposedly made by Bandai—are highly sought after. Their value can compare to the official Vivienne Westwood lighters.

And of course, the third option for fashion buyers is the affordable modern day duplicates found on reseller sites everywhere.

The 25th Anniversary NANA x Vivienne Westwood Collaboration

So October 7, 2025, when Vivienne Westwood announced the NANA x Vivienne Westwood collab, I gasped and also cursed my poor timing. A release of NANA x Vivienne Westwood fashion at the SAME TIME as my upcoming trip to Japan? Not only is that iconic, but terrible for my already poor finances.

However, it is not a fashion drop—yet. The collaboration release celebrates the 15th anniversary with a special edition volume of NANA with a new illustration from the creator on the cover and a Vivienne Westwood style plaid sprayed edge. According to Elle, the joint release will include two waves—the second of which should be in December.

I can’t help but wish as a selfish fashion girlie for some limited edition jewelry, over the knee socks, TIGHTS. Some strawberry designs, a plaid punk beret with spikes or pins, and god, please, a canonized orb lighter (that is less than $2000).

There is still time for the fashion to be announced. It’s only been seven days LOL. But I beg of you, RELEASE THE FASHION.