Hello Kitty has luxury ideas, or at least the brand's parent company, Sanrio, does. Sanrio has set up a 1,200-square-foot luxe concept shop in the heart of New York's 42nd Street, which will house products as diverse as a $5 pencil pack to a $30,000 diamond-encrusted pendant that can only be found in the Times Square space. The space is not a new one per se, but rather a refurbishing of its original Hello Kitty store concept at 233 West 42nd Street, which is set to open November 11. Janet Hsu, president of Sanrio global consumer products explained the idea behind the store concept during an interview with WWD, "Hello Kitty has been in the U.S. since 1976, so many women have grown up with the brand," she said. "We thought this was a great new way to present some of our most exclusive products."
In this economic uncertainty, it will remain to be seen whether or not the love of Hello Kitty will cause a consumer to throw caution to the wind and purchase a $30,000 piece or $1,000 piece for that matter. Hello Kitty, indeed.