Vivienne Westwood x NANA: They’re Back on the Runway
After twenty-five years of wanting and waiting, the punk souls have finally returned with a brand-new edition and fashion collaboration. Happy birthday, NANA, and welcome back!
“Hey Nana…’Member when we first met?”
To fans who recognize this line: This is neither a dream nor a drill. The destined collaboration that we’ve all been wanting and waiting for IS REALLY HERE! Time to get out of bed and pop that champagne!
To the rest of you out there curious: This is the big moment of NANA, the legendary shōjo manga created by Ai Yazawa. Sixteen years after its indefinite hiatus back in 2009, NANA is making a grand return to celebrate its 25th Anniversary and collaborating with Vivienne Westwood, the revolutionary British fashion brand famous for its provocative punk aesthetics and sculpted design.
On October 7, 2025, Vivienne Westwood (@westwoof_japan) posted a short teaser on X, confirming its official partnership with NANA. As if guided by fate, the two have finally united.
Overwhelmed by the surprising news, ecstatic fans are now over the moon.
“I’m screaming! This is the collab of the century,” says @MlleSoso_, a NANA fan from France, on X.
“My wallet is not ready for the second round of this Vivienne Westwood x NANA collab,” jokes @xxmaroshxx, another passionate fan.
If, by any chance, you have read NANA, you would be no stranger to Vivienne Westwood and reasons why fans are emptying their wallets. The characters are known for their incredibly sassy design dressed in VW-inspired outfits. With sharp eyes, you can also spot them wearing real Westwood pieces in the manga, showcasing their rock ’n’ roll ambitions and unconventional journey to musical Hall of Fame. The blending of punk culture celebrates individuality, unapologetic youth, and rebellion, the very same sentiments reflected in Westwood’s designs. This secret recipe of Japanese shōjo, dramatic romance, and punk fashion thus creates a kind of magic that transcends the boundary of storytelling and drives fans crazy; many were even introduced to the brand through reading the manga. It’s not an exaggeration that a Vivienne Westwood x NANA collaboration was once the fans’ wildest dream. Now, it’s turning into reality.
For readers who are just discovering NANA, I’m glad to have you here today. You have came across a representative masterpiece of shōjo manga renowned for its delicate and empathetic storytelling. Nine years (2000-2009) of serial runs in Shueisha’s monthly shōjo manga magazine Cookie have won NANA the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. In 2006, the manga inspired studio Madhouse to adapt it into a 47-episode anime. The visceral story of NANA is one of a kind — it’s unlikely to find a substitute, and frankly, you wouldn’t even want one in the first place.
The manga centers on the complicated lives of Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, two young women who meet on a train to Tokyo and become roommates and best friends since then. While sharing the same first name, these girls are two worlds apart to say the least. Driven by her music ambition, Nana Osaki is a rock band vocalist who yearns for fame and hopes to sing until death. Smoky eye makeup and Vivienne Westwood clothing make her a cool, untouchable black cat. In contrast, Nana Komatsu’s greatest happiness is about finding Prince Charming after going through a series of miserable love affairs. Wherever she goes, daydreams and pink bubbles follow.
Destiny brings them together, however, for they are two sides of a single coin. Both Nana seek their desired joy and a place to belong. As a team, they experience the bizarre encounters, challenges, and heartbreaks in the dangerously dazzling city of Tokyo. They grow to uncover and confront the cruel truth of the adult world — there is no such thing as “forever.” Reality is never the fairy tale Nana Komatsu imagined nor the hero’s journey adored by Nana Osaki. It is with great pain that they discover that no matter how strong the passion or attachment, nobody can ever fully possess another. In the end, departure becomes an inevitable lesson.
Childhood trauma, rock music, isolation, and the transient yet immortal nature of all things, especially pain and love, interweave to create NANA. It is important to understand the two fundamental beliefs of the whole work: One, it is possible that a person can have romantic and quasi-romantic feelings toward multiple individuals at once. Two, loneliness is inescapable no matter how intimate people grow with one another; no action can ever compensate for that essential void of existence.
Though it appears to be an ordinary coming-of-age melodrama at first glance, NANA manages to stand tall among the rest of its competitors and avoid cliches thanks to Ai Yazawa, who writes with honesty and empathy that cuts straight to the throat. She explores and dissects the emotional complexity, inner psyche, and vulnerability of her characters so thoroughly that it fuels resonance and even a sense of insecurity in her readers. She writes as not a manga creator, but as someone who actually lives in that world. She sees through what’s inside a human’s heart that makes drama unfold for a clear reason. It is Yazawa and NANA’s philosophy that drama is not a plot device, but life itself.
This is what brings the story of NANA to life. While readers complain about the flaws of characters and their chaotic relationships, they can’t help but over and over find parts of their own self reflected within them, forming a love-hate relationship with those unbearable yet raw and visceral emotions. NANA thus stays in readers’ minds, leaving marks that itch whenever they recall it.
Going back to the exciting news of collaboration, let’s keep in mind that a new edition of NANA is scheduled to be released on October 21, 2025. In honor of the anniversary, Ai Yazawa has also illustrated a new cover design for the 25th Anniversary Edition, Vol.1: Vivienne Westwood Edition (Limited), featuring NANA’s two heroines, Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, walking down a runway gracefully in iconic Vivienne Westwood looks, including womenswear in bold tartan motifs, signature orb jewelry, and Rocking Horse Ballerina shoes. In addition, the special edition features plaid sprayed edges that match Vivienne Westwood’s classic patterns. The sincerity and cross-media craftsmanship behind this long-awaited partnership stands the test of both manga fans and fashion enthusiasts.
For those who have made it to New York Comic Con 2025 on October 9 to 12, I hope you managed to grab a copy at VIZ Media’s booth, where the special collaborative edition made an early debut. If you did not, no worries — I’m here to help: the edition will drop exclusively at Books-a-Million on October 21. If you haven’t placed an order yet, you have that chance now. For UK residents, the edition will be available via Waterstones on November 20, 2025. You may also find copies at Vivienne Westwood boutiques starting on October 30. For the purchasing options in additional countries, please look out for future updates from NANA’s official social media accounts.
We have one more surprise awaiting, in fact. Along with the new edition comes a brand-new collection of merchandise, featuring a commemorative stamp set (five framed stamps, one A4-sized special stamp, twenty-one postcards, and one A4 folder are included), blind box pin badges, blind box keychains, and canvas tote bags. Some of these items are now available for purchase via Japan Post. If you are hoping to expand your collections and savor the enduring legacy of NANA, you might not want to miss this merchandise.
At this point, we’ve basically wrapped up everything we need to know. What else can we do to prepare for the anniversary? Well, as the release of the new edition is fast approaching, perhaps it is time to revisit this masterpiece and return to all the romantic pains and gains in these days of anticipation.
Lastly, let’s not forget to cheer: Happy 25th birthday, NANA, and welcome back!
