New flocked designs created by a skilled craftsman.

One of the sweetest movies ever released by Studio Ghibli is the 1988 animated feature My Neighbour Totoro, which follows the adventures of a young family who move to the countryside and encounter Soot Sprites in dark corners of the home and magical Totoros in the forest.

The story and its enchanted characters are so beguiling the audience might feel inclined to reach out and touch them, but now there’s a clever way for us to actually do that, thanks to a new set of T-shirts released by the Ghibli Museum.

The white T-shirt features a small white Totoro chasing acorns while the black shirt has a couple of Soot Sprites peering out from the dark fabric. While the designs themselves are gorgeous, what makes them even more special is the fact that the characters are soft to touch, due to flocked processing which uses static electricity to attach short fibres to the base layer individually, one by one.

▼ This special process is completed by a skilled craftsman.

The resulting texture is incredibly soft and fluffy to touch, and the T-shirt fabric feels great on the skin, as it’s made from a pesticide-free yarn known as “pre-organic cotton.”

With just the right amount of thickness, the T-shirts are high-quality pieces, and the monochrome look makes them fit in easily with other items in your wardrobe.

▼ The shirts retail for 5,907 yen (US$36.70) each.

If you’re looking to pair your shirt with your footwear, the museum has a series of socks that’ll fit the bill.

Produced in collaboration with Kyoto-based textile company Sou・Sou, these adorable, tabi-style socks  feature the Soot Sprites from the film, and are available in adults’ and kids’ sizes.

The split-toe tabi design lets you wear these comfortably around the home, or with ordinary shoes or sandals.

The socks come in a two-pair set — one white and one grey — for 1,650 yen, and are available in 22-25 centimetre sizes (aimed at women) and 26-29 centimetre sizes (aimed at men).

▼ The 15-17 centimetre sizes are for children.

For a complete look, you can always add the museum’s Soot Sprites Eco Bag to your outfit for 1,760 yen.

The words “Ghibli Museum” are cleverly concealed within the Soot Sprite design.

The lightweight bag is made from an environmentally friendly material called Uniecolo, which is made from recycled plastic bottles, and the design itself is reminiscent of the Soot Sprite window seen at the museum.

Like the miniature wooden signboard magnets, these products are a wonderful way to bring the magic of the museum home with you, but as always, they’re only available at the Mamma Aiuto store and online in limited numbers while stocks last.

Source: Ghibli Museum online shop
Top image: Ghibli Museum online shop
Insert images: Ghibli Museum online shop (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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