On the heels of his fifth solo album release, J. Balvin is dropping some merch that’s sure to make you smile, and The Complex Shop is one of the first stores to have access. In March, the Colombian singer released Colores, a 10-track LP with each song named after a different color. Balvin tapped Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to create the cover art, music video, and merch.
The album artwork features a bed of three-dimensional flowers with smiley-face centers and rainbow-bright petals. (There’s even a free, printable coloring worksheet for kids.) And now, you can rock this mood-brightening aesthetic in a colorful collection of T-shirts and hoodies.
The coveted J. Balvin x Murakami collab is available with limited distribution, and The Complex Shop has your connect through specialty partner, The Webster. The collection of tees and hoodies featuring Murakami’s smiling designs is divided into two drops. First up is Blanco and Morado (white and purple), followed by Amarillo and Rojo (yellow and red).
The styles wear Murakami’s signature daisies—with Balvin’s lightning bolt symbol for eyes—as well as color names in a spray paint font. For both his album and clothing line, the singer was inspired by simpler times.
“[Colors] are one of the first things we learn as children,” Balvin told Architectural Digest. “As I was returning to my roots on this album, it felt right to go back to the beginning to one of the first things I learned about and loved: all the colors in the world.”
The singer has taken an unconventional approach for his digital album release during a global pandemic. For example, Balvin interviewed with Jimmy Fallon via video chat to promote the drop. While many stars like Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Sam Smith decided to push back their spring album releases, Balvin decided to move forward, telling AD, “It can feel like things are dark lately, but I hope to add a bit of color to people’s days.”
His intuition was correct, as Colores has been going strong at No. 2 on Billboard’s Latin Albums Chart. There’s no arguing the world could use some positive vibes right now, so we have no doubt the product collaboration with the acclaimed Murakami will be just as well received.
The versatile pieces, available at an accessible price point, are impossibly easy to style at home or out on the town. Throw on a brightly saturated hoodie to instantly lift your mood, or pair the white tee (adorned with a smiling daisy) with crisp jeans or khakis to elevate your date night look. Whichever you prefer, let’s all embrace a little extra color in our lives right now.
Shop more from the full J. Balvin x Murakami collection here.
