Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner Just Released a Jewelry Collab With Catbird, and We’re Obsessed
The collection draws inspiration from the themes of Zauner's music and writing.
Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast models her new Catbird jewelry collab / Photography by Pak Bae courtesy of Catbird
Michelle Zauner — the Best of Philly-winning lead singer of Japanese Breakfast and author of Crying in H Mart — has added another creative outlet: jewelry. Catbird just released their collaboration with Zauner, an eight-piece collection of delicate pieces inspired by her music and personal life. The line includes charms, rings, bracelets, and even a brooch, with versions in both solid 10-karat gold and sterling silver. The collection is available now, online and in stores. (Psst … There’s one in Rittenhouse!)
The collection draws inspiration from the themes of Japanese Breakfast’s fourth album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), and lean into the dreamy, romantic imagery that runs through much of Zauner’s work.
The “Honey Water” bracelet, for example, is named for the album’s third track and depicts crawling ants, as a callback to the lyrics “The lure of honey water draws you … You follow in colonies.” (There’s also a matching charm.)
And in reference to the mythic and oceanic themes of “Orlando in Love,” much of the jewelry collection features shells. There’s the ring named after the song, and one of the collection’s standout pieces, the “Venus from a Shell” charm, which can also be converted to a brooch.
Another favorite piece is the “Sing Me to Sleep” ring — a reference to her second album’s song “Till Death” — which features a gorgeous cabochon seafoam aquamarine stone.
Other pieces, for particularly keen-eyed fans, draw more on Japanese Breakfast’s live performances. As Zauner told Elle, the lantern charm recalls the set design from her last tour; and the adorable paper crown rings are an homage to the crowns fans wear to their concerts — themselves a callback to one Zauner wore at Coachella last year.
The launch also includes a philanthropic component: In celebration of the launch, Catbird is donating $10,000 to the Immigrant Defense Network.
