NANA x Vivienne Westwood Collaboration Announced for the 25th Anniversary of Stunning Fashion Manga
Oct 14
Written By Megan Taylor



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 InfluenceVivienne 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.



“The dreams we are chasing and the reality that is chasing us are always parallel; they never meet.”— NANA





NANA


Genre: Shoujo Manga

Author: Ai Yazawa

Publication: 2000

Warnings: Heartbreak

Rating: 5/5




NANA x Vivienne Westwood advertisement from Volta.




NANA x Vivienne Westwood advertisement in Kreg Magazine 2003.




Kera Magazine 2000~Nana Osaki’s style.




Modern Orb Lighter Replica from Ebay (rebijouboutique).




Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki.




Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu.

Basara Review

BASARA

TLDR: watch my YouTube video here: BASARA manga review: hidden gem you should read

*not to be confused with Basara Sengoku, a video game series developed and published by Capcom.

Author: Yumi Tamura (Tam-Tam).

Volumes: 27 (106 chapters).

Serialized 1990-1998.

Warnings: SA, violence, death, nudity, mature themes

How did I stumble across a manga that I would rise above the other mangas I've read? 

A Google search and a click on a forum. 

Most shocking of this discovery is that I don't hear people talking about it. Never heard of it before. Friends who read manga didn't recognize it. But it's somehow the best enemies to lovers romance I've ever read, with some of the coolest characters on the cast.

Adapted into an anime aired locally in Japan: "The Legend of Basara", a thirteen episode airing in 1998 that covers volumes 1-5. I was hesitant to read it because I don't read a lot of manga with an older style of artwork. I'm very glad I went beyond the doubts. I haven't watched the anime, but I will. I hear it's pretty loyal to the manga.

Themes: 

Unity, Betrayal, Loyalty, Morality, Revolution, Politics, Gender + more...

Summary: Sarasa, a young girl living in a Japan reduced to barren lands, leads a revolution disguised as her brother Tatara. The prophet Nagi had declared that Tatara was the one to lead Japan's revolution and bring down the monarchy. The lands are divided between the Red King, the Black King, the Blue King, etc. So when Tatara is beheaded by the Red King's army in the first volume, and the enemies see him alive in the next minute, they are fully convinced the prophecy is true and Tatara is a crazy serious threat. But Tatara is in fact, Sarasa, his twin sister, utterly distraught over her brother's death. Amidst the madness of battle, she takes up his name and tries to lead everyone to safety, beginning a journey for revenge against the monarchy and a hatred for the Red King, while simultaneously creating a friendship with Shuri, a stranger who appears and declares himself a wanna-be merchant (He's literally the Red King). They keep crossing paths with each other, exchanging letters, and little do they know for almost the entire series that the other is their nemesis. Actively trying to desperately kill the other and their allies.  

Sarasa begins a quest to collect the four treasured swords divided across the lands of Japan. Only with the swords and allies gained from their retrieval will she become successful. The story has characters you hate, love, kind of hate but you're rooting for, characters with disabilities, intense revenge-fueled dreams, and more.

Japan's state of a nation doomed without intervention, and the characters often philosophize about government, democracy, freedom, prejudice, and personal legacy (including characters that are forced to choose between love and country, face enslavement, loss of family, tarnishing of reputation, and more. 

It's got everything: undercover Mulan-figure fighting under her brother's identity, one-eyed roaming dancer who somehow is everywhere and no where all at once, spoiled Zuko character who hates his dad (and also goes through a bald phase), cute messenger owls you're always worried about, grand prison breaks, pirates, deserts, an intense scholar who tries to document the entire thing happening all around, and more.

I especially love that all characters from all sides of the fray either accidentally barely miss the people they're looking for OR come in contact with someone they don't know but we do (Game of Thrones style). One of my favorite dynamics in story telling, actually.

Overall, I loved Basara. The camaraderie reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender, which didn't even exist at the time of publication; stellar character backstory, growth (or decline), humor, including cute panels where the character expression turns into the most basic of shapes...the art style itself is aesthetic, majestic, not altogether confusing--which is a struggle for any manga reader or artist when crazy battle scenes are happening.

Notably, Tam-Tam introduces characters and very quickly you realize you have a connection to that character, even if it's a minor character or they are barely there. (Then they die. Just kidding). (Only sometimes). And she can establish empathy for even the worst people in some cases...

I would find myself waiting to see the continuation of one character's journey and annoyed at a newly introduced character, and within a few panels I wouldn't mind at all because I'm interested in this new one. A rare talent in my opinion. Some people online critiqued the large amount of characters and quick changes of place and circumstance. It can get confusing since there are so many people involved and since they can show up in different regions from when they were introduced, or with different people around them, but it's still amazing.

Tam-Tam supports a commentary that anything can be accomplished, even the impossible, as long as there is unification and teamwork, sometimes selflessness, acceptance, and good morals. Trust leads the way, and love conquers. Even if people die and their lover is left alone and vows for revenge, they have a continuing story beyond that loss that shows the power of forgiveness and the sorrow of bitterness. 

Rivalries can be misunderstandings that CAN be rectified, both sides CAN be fighting for their own justice, believed to be the better cause. Good people fight good people, sometimes for the wrong reasons, but also sometimes because they jump too fast into revenge rather than forgiveness.

I loved the main characters, their dynamic, their romance, but mostly their conviction and growth when faced with responsibility, loyalty, and war.

I loved the side characters, the people you only see once, the people you hate, I loved them all. Some were too evil to actually love, but I think they were well created.

I commend the plot twists, as I adore when characters reveal their hidden agendas through action, and sometimes the author would keep something hidden until the right moment of reveal, and a character's actions became clear while upping the stakes. 

Mostly, I loved the portrayal of gender and women in the story. Sarasa was a character the likes of Jo in Little Women, Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice--I do not even have the words to describe how she battles the dynamics of responsibility caught in between leadership and responsibility, expectations as a man and woman, while staying true to herself and those around her...The women in the story were victims of war, greed, or station, powerful wives or powerful weapon-wielding girls with dreams and complex stories. 

And I don't have words for Ageha at this time. He is by far one of my favorite characters to date. A man of the wind...

Once you get to the finale, there are extras: 

-characters side stories/history 

-events after the finale

-events preceding the first volume, generations ago, with the first insurgency of Japan and the meaning behind the title Basara...

10/10. Thank you Tam-Tam.