Few contemporary artists have blurred the lines between fine art, street culture, and fashion as seamlessly as KAWS. Known in part for his colossal sculptures—like the KAWS: Holiday series (2018–2021), which saw his signature “Companion” character appear as a 40-meter inflatable on Mount Fuji, float serenely in South Korea’s Seokchon Lake, and even rest at Taipei’s Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall—his work has become a global spectacle.

And in many ways, KAWS’s own life has mirrored the scale of his creations. What began as small graffiti interventions on the streets of New York has expanded into an art empire, spanning museum retrospectives, high-profile collaborations, and record-breaking auctions. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he started out tagging billboards and bus stops, reworking advertisements with his now-iconic motifs. Today, he’s one of the most sought-after figures in contemporary art and fashion.

V spoke with the artist ahead of his latest exhibition, KAWS: FAMILY, on view at the Crystal Bridges Museum until July 28th.

Mathias Rosenzweig: Your work under the name KAWS is known worldwide. However, you got your start working on internationally beloved cartoons like Daria and Doug. Tell me about that.

KAWS: Getting out of the School of Visual Arts, that was just a job—somewhere I could paint and get paid for painting. I wasn’t tied to the storyline, and I haven’t followed it since. When you’re in art school and entering your fourth year, you realize there aren’t a lot of applications for painting. Animation was one of them. I could work in watercolors, and it was a great way to pay my rent.

MR: There are worse ways to pay the rent for sure. But you still reference and pull from cartoon characters in your work—not just from Doug or Daria. Were cartoons a big influence for you as a kid, or did they become a bigger inspiration later?

KAWS: Like any kid growing up, cartoons were around. But the Doug and Daria work was never really part of my artistic development. Later, I grew to appreciate how global cartoons are and how their aesthetic communicates in ways other styles don’t.

MR: Anime and Japanese culture have also inspired you quite a bit. Do you still get over to Tokyo often?

KAWS: Not as much as I’d like. Most of my early ties to Japan were in fashion. That’s where I got opportunities to work with companies. Everyone was young, and there was a lot of new energy—unexplored territory. What was happening there in the mid-90s grew into something huge. Now, streetwear has infiltrated every fashion house’s aesthetic.

MR: When it comes to fashion, you’ve worked with Nike, Uniqlo, Dior, Supreme—the list goes on. Was fashion an actual interest of yours, or was it more about the opportunity to collaborate and make money?

KAWS: Not in art school, but there was some overlap with streetwear in the mid-90s. There was Futura, Stash—Stash had a company called Subware. James Jebbia had just started Supreme. Being in close proximity to those guys, I saw it evolve. Then, when I went to Japan, I worked with Undercover and Comme des Garçons. I’ve always been interested in how you can communicate through clothing in a way that painting and sculpture can’t. There’s a different kind of acceptance when art exists on clothing.

MR: It’s also art that is more accessible to wider audiences. It’s easier to acquire a Uniqlo shirt with your work than, for example, one of your statues.

KAWS: Definitely. It also gives me opportunities to work with patterns and graphics in ways I don’t normally do in painting. When I did the project with Sacai, it was about creating repeat patterns—something new for me. Seeing how a designer transforms my work into garments is exciting.

MR: Do you have any favorite collaborations?

KAWS: It’s hard to choose—it’s like picking a favorite child. But I do love seeing my work out in the world. With Uniqlo, that happens quite often. It’s always a nice feeling. When I’m with my kids in customs and there’s a kid across the line wearing a shirt I designed, it’s always surreal. I forget how much of my work is out there.

MR: So, safe to say there’s room for future fashion collaborations?

KAWS: Absolutely. I see it as an extension of my work. Opportunities come, I meet different people, and it’s always interesting to see how they work. I keep an open door to that.

MR: Is there anyone in fashion you’re a fan of right now?

KAWS: I love Pharrell—I’ve had a long friendship with him. I’m also curious to see what Kim Jones does next. When he moved from Louis Vuitton to Dior, he told me before it was announced and asked me to do the first collection. There wasn’t much of a timeline, but it was exciting. We just did another project that’s hitting stores now.

MR: I saw his last show, and my friend next to me said, “Well, you know this is his last show.” I was like, wait, what?

KAWS: Yeah, fashion is like that—fast-moving, always shifting.

MR: That pace is crazy. Art seems to have longer timelines.

KAWS: Definitely. Right now, I’m working on projects for 2027. Fashion moves much faster. Fashion is intense. I had a brand called OriginalFake from 2006 to 2013. It was streetwear—100+ pieces a season. I grew to hate it. At first, I was excited to have my own store in Tokyo, but I realized I didn’t want my own thing. I’d rather collaborate with other brands, work intensely for a short period, and then return to painting.

MR: That’s a lesson people learn in their late 20s—some things are meant to be a hobby, some a career.

KAWS: The business side of it was overwhelming. I just want to focus on creating, not managing wholesale accounts.

MR: Last question—what can people expect at the Crystal Bridges Museum? Are there new pieces, or is it an aggregation of past works?

KAWS: The show is traveling from the AGO in Toronto. It’s mostly the same, but I added some new pieces—Monster Cereal paintings and sculptures. The space is different, so it was an opportunity to include them. It’s a broad survey of my work, from painted phone booths in 2000 to paintings finished in the last two years. 

This story appears in the pages of V154: now available for purchase!

Photography Harlan Bozeman

Interview Mathias Rosenzweig

Creative Director / Editor-in-Chief Stephen Gan 

Editor Kevin Ponce

Photo Director Sameet Sharma

Junior Art Director Clement Condat