Akumu is Japanese for “nightmare”, and according to the company’s founders, that is the basis for all the designs featured on their clothing. No licensing needed here, as Akumu shirts are all entirely original—and often disturbing, as nightmares are. Skeletons offer black market body parts, fairy tale heroines become murderous, skulls’ ears bleed, and lonely people decay in cages.
These shirts are tailor made for horror fanatics and champions of the macabre, but Akumu have also added a playful tone to the imagery by “super-deforming” most of the characters—a technique that squashes the character’s legs and enlarges the head and eyes, making everyone look totally adorable and moony-eyed.
The super-deformity is really what gives the brand its own look; without it, Akumu might get lost in the “hardcore/punk” market, but as is, these are truly unique (and cute!) shirts that are worth paying a full specialty price for.
What I like best about Akumu, beyond their awesomely adorable designs, is the fact that the men’s and women’s lines have very similar imagery, so if you’re a dude and you see something on the woman’s side you like, there’s a very good chance it’ll be available in a men’s size as well. As someone who is constantly drooling over the superior designs on men’s t-shirts (no, I don’t like pink unicorns and kittens, thanks), I find this very exciting and accomodating.
And hey, guess what else? Backpacks!
It’s raining blood. Oh my.
To see Akumu’s full line of shirts and bags, head to their official site: akumuink.com.