Fan Club

Mutual admiration brought together Los Angeles jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino and fashion and gift icon Hello Kitty—so goes the concept behind Tarantino’s new Pink Head line. The line of Hello Kitty–themed jewelry is part of a licensing agreement between the jewelry designer and Tokyo-based Sanrio Co. Ltd., owner of the Hello Kitty trademark and character.

Executives in Sanrio’s San Francisco office had been looking for licensing opportunities for its distinctive, cute characters and heard that Tarantino was a longtime Hello Kitty fan. Tarantino said she was thrilled with the idea of creating a Hello Kitty line but, wanting to put her own spin on it, asked if she could give the character her signature fuchsia hair. Sanrio agreed, and Tarantino’s Pink Head collection was born.

Tarantino launched a limited-edition initial collection recently at a Hello Kitty–themed party at Vida, a restaurant in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. The party—which featured Hello Kitty wallpaper, Pink Head martinis, and special appearances by Hello Kitty and Tarantino—raised funds for Ricky Martin’s People for Children charity. —Alison A. Nieder