Nostalgia for Hello Kitty is driving a wave of brand collaborations as  Sanrio’s famous cat character celebrates its 50th anniversary. A Hello Kitty Cafe is popping up at Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre, and the Vicinity-owned property isn’t the only retail player tapping into the pop-culture pandemonium surrounding Hello Kitty.In August, plus-size women’s apparel retailer Taking Shape launched a limited-edition capsule collection of licensed clothing featuring the cute character, which saw strong uptake amongst customers.The love affair with Hello Kitty doesn’t discriminate, with both children and adults fond of the cartoon, and Taking Shape’s collection proving that licensed sleepwear is in demand amongst women.Meanwhile, the bespoke cafe at Hotel Chadstone is further proof of Australia’s biggest shopping centre’s ambition to become known for food and dining in addition to being the nation’s ‘fashion capital’.High tea with Hello KittyChadstone has sold nearly 3500 tickets to the Hello Kitty cafe high tea, which will be held during the upcoming school holidays, selling out in 48 hours.Demand for the caricature cat set a new record at the shopping centre’s hotel, making it the fastest-selling high tea to be hosted to date.Officially, the café opens on September 20 and will run through to October 27. It will host a series of high teas throughout its tenure with capacity for walk-ins and a convenient grab-and-go offering.To mark the occasion, the shopping centre is dropping a limited-edition range of exclusive merchandise.And if Taking Shape’s Sanrio-branded collection is anything to go by, the sell-through of this collection will be even faster than the branded strawberry iced matchas.“We are very excited to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at Chadstone,” Mardi Ashkine, Chadstone’s head of marketing told Inside Retail. “As a global pop-culture icon, Hello Kitty has broad appeal and there will be a variety of experiences for all ages. From a fully immersive Hello Kitty Café to a nine-metre inflatable installation created by Australian graffiti artist Sofles to High Tea at Hotel Chadstone, every moment will be memorable.“Whether you’re a fan or a foodie, Hello Kitty is a must-do Melbourne experience,” Ashkine said.This year alone, over 30 retailers at Chadstone stocked Hello Kitty branded products and the Sanrio kitten has generated upwards of AU$75 million in sales of branded merchandise in Australia within the past 12 months.Taking ShapeSince Taking Shape launched its Hello Kitty collection on August 15, the plus-size women’s apparel brand said it has seen a strong uptake amongst customers. Sleepwear proved to be the strongest category of the collection across the range, with the nightie being the best seller across the Australian and New Zealand markets, according to the brand.The brand said that Australian online customers preferred the pyjama pants and New Zealand customers preferred nighties.Taking Shape launched its first licensed collection with Sesame Street in August 2023. Since then, it has launched other ranges featuring Winnie-the-Pooh and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Across the ranges, the brand said that sleepwear has always sold well. A spokesperson for the brand noted that Taking Shape’s customers love nostalgic characters and enjoy buying products as gifts. As a plus-size brand, Taking Shape is making these characters available to a wider audience.This was confirmed by Jo Bartley, a model and influencer who modelled the Hello Kitty and Taking Shape collection. “I love the size range, obviously, making it accessible to so many people, every piece is not only cute but comfortable,” Bartley said.Taking Shape confirmed that plenty more licensed collaborations are in the pipeline, given the success of the latest collection.