Major League Baseball is taking a swing in the culture and fashion department to reach the next generation of fans.
MLB and media company Complex have partnered with contemporary artist Takashi Murakami to release a limited-edition collection of merchandise and trading cards that will include his signature vibrant colors and floral artwork.
The Murakami-designed jerseys and trading cards will be offered through the commerce and collectibles division of Fanatics, the league’s retail partner. The collaboration announcement comes less than a month before the 2025 Tokyo Series (March 18 and 19), which will be headlined by a pair of regular-season games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. The Tokyo Series will feature some of the league’s greatest Japanese talent, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shōta Imanaga.
“As we continue to grow the game globally, having a Japanese artist of Murakami’s caliber allows us to celebrate Japan’s deep connection to baseball,” MLB chief marketing officer Uzma Rawn Dowler said in a phone interview. “It also allows us to showcase baseball fashion as a powerful form of cultural storytelling.”
Murakami, 63, recently made headlines for reuniting with LVMH megabrand Louis Vuitton. He boasts a massive social media presence with nearly 3 million Instagram followers.
The Superflat art movement founder, who is known for mixing Japanese and Western influences, has also designed album cover art for hip-hop artists such as Kanye West and Future. The tie-up between MLB and Murakami is the latest push for the league to try to capture the attention of younger fans while capitalizing on its Japanese talent, led by Ohtani, the Dodgers star and reigning NL MVP.
“This is core to our strategy, which is elevating the generational talent that exists within MLB today,” Dowler said. “We have a young generation of players and that translates into a young generation of fans consuming our sport, whether it’s going to games or engaging with us on social media platforms. It’s cool to see all that come to life through this initiative.”
Murakami previously partnered with the Cubs in 2019 as part of a collab with festival ComplexCon. This time around, the leaguewide partnership is expected to have even more reach, as designed merchandise will be available online and in stores at Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field. The league hopes the Murakami initiative will help drive marketing momentum toward 2026 when the World Baseball Classic returns in Japan for first-round games.
“We want to make sure we’re building on the momentum,” Dowler said. “Not just in and around the Tokyo Series and the days that we’re there but how we build on this and continue to have a presence in the Japanese market.”
