78% matchMelting Sadness
Cartoon-mascot character built into every drop, toy collabs
What changes: China-based, lower price, no fine-art or gallery side
Brand profile
Kaws
Brian Donnelly's art-and-product label, built on crossed-out eyes and the Companion figure, spanning vinyl toys, prints and mass-market apparel collaborations.
New York CityOrigin
UnisexFocus
StreetwearStyle
$$Price
4 brands like Kaws like Melting Sadness, MARKET, Ice Cream →
What to know about Kaws
An artist's studio, not a label
KAWS is Brian Donnelly's product line, running alongside vinyl figures, prints, paintings and museum shows rather than seasonal fashion collections.
The character is the product
Nearly every release is anchored by the crossed-out XX eyes and the Companion figure, so hoodies and t-shirts are essentially graphic carriers.
Priced by collaborator, not collection
Output spans Uniqlo UT tees, Nike, Supreme and BAPE drops and Dior, plus the KAWSONE webstore, so what you pay depends on which partner made it.
If you like Kaws
78% match
73% matchMARKET
Appropriation-art smileys and bootleg logo play
What changes: Pure apparel novelty, no collectibles or gallery practice
70% matchIce Cream
Cartoon-print skatewear from the same Nigo/BBC orbit
What changes: Music-celebrity brand rather than artist studio
66% matchLazy Oaf
Illustrator-led cartoon motifs, playful and toy-like
What changes: UK indie, womenswear-leaning, no collab-hype ecosystem
Brand facts
KAWS is the studio and product label of American artist Brian Donnelly, who moved from subverting bus-shelter advertising in the 1990s to vinyl figures, prints, paintings and apparel. The crossed-out "XX" eyes and the Companion character anchor most releases, sold through the KAWSONE webstore and gallery and museum shows. With Medicom Toy he ran the Tokyo label and Aoyama store OriginalFake from 2006 to 2013. Recurring partners include Uniqlo UT, Nike, Supreme, BAPE and Dior, plus album artwork for Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Clipse.
- Founded
- 1999
- Origin
- New York City, United States
- Price
- $$
- Focus
- Unisex
- Facts checked
- September 2026
- Styles
- Streetwear, Skatewear, Y2K