Kanye West to Launch Jewelry Line with Takashi Murakami

After his much blogged-about victory over 50 Cent last month, Kanye West is taking the next logical step for a hip-hop star on the rise: he’s branching out into bling. Kanye will be collaborating with Takashi Murakami, the celebrated Warhol-esque Japanese designer of Louis Vuitton fame. Kanye and Murakami have worked together before: Murakami designed the rapper’s latest album cover, Graduation (pictured). The planned jewelry line, which has no release date yet, will feature huge Manga-style necklace pendants with rare colored diamonds. Kanye debuted a prototype necklace at the Givenchy show during New York Fashion Week last month, as reported by WWD. The rapper noted that there’s still work to do on the prototype: “The eyes are not perfectly done. Murakami cringes when he sees the eyes.”

WWD: Fashion Scoops