There are collaborations and then there are Major League Baseball collaborations. Takashi Murakami teamed up with MLB to handle art and baseball collectibles—an exclusive experience presented by Fanatics and Complex.
On March 7, this celebration of the partnership fused so many worlds together—the collection is a mesh between baseball memorabilia, street art, streetwear, contemporary art, and anime style. One of the first fans in line waited in line for over 24 hours and said it was worth the wait.
“We are just motivated; we go hard for L.A. and that’s what it is.”
There’s a community consensus; Fairfax is a ghost-town since Supreme’s relocation to Sunset Boulevard in 2023 and the recent permanent closure of streetwear clothing store, The Hundreds. However, that wasn’t the case on Friday; on opening day of the Fanatics and Complex Takashi Murakami x MLB Limited Edition Collection Pop-Up had a line wrapped around the corner.
It took place at Complex LA, 433 N Fairfax Ave., right in the heart of the Mecca of streetwear.
There was a heavy presence of supporters from all walks of life; some fans traveled from Fresno for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The collaboration brings together two of the most iconic teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Infused with Murakami’s signature style across an array of exclusive products from global sports platform Fanatics, including Nike MLB t-shirts and hoodies, alongside signature pieces – official Nike Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs MLB limited jerseys. In addition to wearable merchandise, the collection also includes Topps trading cards, New Era 59FIFTYs, knits and adjustable caps, Rawlings® baseballs, Victus bats, totes, keychains and more.
The immersive pop-up experience included wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling original vinyl artwork with signature Murakami characters infused with the Los Angeles Dodger and Chicago Cubs branding. Bright pops of pinks contrasted with the Dodger Blue was a special kind of backdrop and a fan favorite for selfies.
The experience and marketing teams at Complex transformed the space to create a welcoming and immersive environment. Center stage in the experience was an animated video artwork by Takashi Murakami; it took several months to create because of the high attention to detail that Murakami is known for.
This particular collaboration is special for many reasons; its Murakami’s first MLB collaboration and it’s also in celebration of the 2025 MLB Tokyo Series.
These types of activations are important because they expose many different cultures to one another. A certain type of cross-pollination happens, and in this case, baseball fans get a peek into the world of contemporary art and vice versa. Art folks get an opportunity to explore baseball and its importance.
In speaking with Timothy Nickloff, head of Integrated Marketing for Complex, he said:
“Takashi Maurakami is the artist of our generation and with celebrating Japanese culture, Celebrating what’s happening in baseball and celebrating The Dodgers, it was just a natural fit.”
The Pop-Up immersive experience lasted for the entire weekend, and thousands of fans and supporters stopped by the Complex LA location for this one-of-a-kind experience.
Written by Johnny Young, L.A. based freelance art and culture journalist, for coverage email spellmuseum@gmail.com or follow on Instagram @blackmuseumist
