The classic manga series One Piece just got a high-fashion update. The series, which debuted in the ‘90s, has been beloved by fans for literal decades, but it's having a resurgence lately due to the Netflix live-action adaptation.
In case you've been living under a rock, here's a refresher: One Piece centers on a group called the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy, searching for a long-lost treasure — not exactly the storyline you'd think of when you think magazine editorial, but stylist and model Wisdom Kaye proved us all wrong with a truly breathtaking runway-worthy ode to Eiichiro Oda's One Piece.
Kaye pulled together a whopping 35 outfits inspired by the manga and its characters, including swordsman Zoro in a green Maison Margiela coat; treasure hunter and thief Nami in an orange patterned Gaultier top and No Faith Studios pants; Usopp with a Hermès bag; and so, so many more. Pieces from Chanel, Gucci, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten, and Chrome Hearts all pop up throughout the ode to One Piece.
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According to Kaye's Twitter/X thread about the project, the original intention was to style each character in the series; however, it quickly became obvious that that was just too ambitious. “There’s over a thousand. I managed to do 35 & I wanted to do more," Kaye wrote. He began styling in April and estimates it took about 168 hours of styling, 30 hours to shoot, and 26 hours to edit — and the passion is evident in the imagery.
“As usual with these high fashion interpretations, sometimes I aim for full or partial accuracy with styling or even just resemblance to a specific part of the character,” Kaye explained. “I never want it to feel like cosplay but rather fashionable interpretations.”
The project was sentimental for the stylist, who said his first toy was a Luffy action figure. Kaye, who built a following on TikTok in 2020, took inspiration from the characters' looks without having to recreate them exactly. “Achieving this could be as simple as wearing Margiela boots to resemble Chopper's feet or matching a whole design/outfit with my own pieces like with Mihawk or Sanji for example,” he shared. “It depends on what clothes I have personally, but when I have more freedom I aim for something that matches the vibe of the character as well as the colors and pieces." Roud of applause for Kaye.
