Here's a cute surprise: German luxury brand Montblanc has come together with the beloved anime Naruto to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a cross-category capsule collection. You might be wondering what the connection between the two is, and it's a pretty smart one. This collaboration features two characters: protagonist Uzumaki Naruto, a plucky young ninja; and his mentor, the hermit sage Jiraiya. There's a narrative theme that runs through the series: Jiraiya is a novelist and writer, and in the story transmits the tales of his life and hopes for the future through his writing.
Montblanc, on its part, has tapped on that shared basis of writing. In press notes, the brand describes the tie-up as a celebration of the art of creative storytelling and the cultural influence of the anime. "Naruto is a cultural phenomenon that appeals across generations," says Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki of the collaboration. "It addresses life lessons in a dynamic, compelling and accessible way." The idea of transmission of knowledge, according to Baretzki, is close to Montblanc's own heart and heritage in handwriting and "its ongoing mission to inspire people to leave their mark on the world in a meaningful and purposeful way."
The result is a cross-category collection that spans writing instruments and accessories, leather goods and smart watches all detailed with motifs pulled from the Naruto world. On the special edition Meisterstück pen, available in rollerball, ballpoint and fountain pen formats, the barrel is engraved with the cloud pattern of the Akatsuki, the cap is set with an image of Naruto in orange lacquer, the clip is highlighted in Naruto's famous orange, and the hand-crafted solid gold, ruthenium-coated nib features both the Konoha (hidden leaf village) symbol and Montblanc's 4810 signature. There's even a special orange ink (for fountain pen lovers: it's beautiful, rich, warm, with great legibility) and leather notebook to complete the writing assortment.
Details aren't spared for the leather goods, either. The assortment consists of a tote, sling bag, chest bag, pouch and mini reporter; while small leather goods include a card holder, compact wallet, pen pouch, M Buckle belt, key fob, iPhone cover and AirPods case. These are decorated with Naruto and Jiraiya prints on black leather, with orange contrasts and reverse sides decorated with writing symbols like brush strokes, ink drops and calligraphy motifs. Even the luxury brand's Summit 3 Smart Watch gets the Naruto touch, with new animations on its digital face (ninja tools like kunai and shuriken as watch hands), engravings of these weapons on the bezel, and leather strap embossed with the Konohagakure symbol.
To mark this collaboration, the team over at Naruto have also created a special anime short of Jiraiya reflecting on Naruto's journey, penning his thoughts in ink with a fountain pen. The collection, meanwhile, is now available on Montblanc's website and boutiques.
