A P40,000 Kitty tote (photo by NOEL B. PABALATE)

For a cat who can’t really talk, Hello Kitty does say a mouthful with every new merchandise that bears her familiar imprint and famous red bow.

You’ll certainly see a lot of it now at Sanrio Luxe. Yes, the flagship and most well-loved character of Sanrio is now living the high life at her very own, new, luxurious store in Greenbelt 5. To coincide with Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary celebration, Virgie Ramos, the indefatigable local franchise holder of Sanrio and founder of those popular Gift Gate stores, recently inaugurated her newest baby and only the second Sanrio Luxe store worldwide.

So what makes Sanrio Luxe different from the Gift Gate stores that also carry Hello Kitty and other official Sanrio merchandise? Well, for starters, it is distinguished by a slick and elegant architecture to reflect how much the now glam, hip, and trendy Hello Kitty has evolved with the times.

Multi-awarded architect Ed Calma who designed the store describes it as “combining sophistication with playfulness.” “The door pattern from the outside incorporates the door handles and comes alive,” Calma says. “What look like ceiling installations from a distance turns out to be Hello Kitty cookie cutter installations. There’s also the stainless steel Kitty heads that double as mirrors so you and your friends can see how much you’ve become part of the Hello Kitty lore and family over the years.”

There’s also a nice, perforated wall of collaboration display that reveals items exclusively carried by Sanrio Luxe and not available anywhere else, including Hello Kitty xxx Anteprima,  Tokidoki, Tarina Tarantino, Atmos, Asics, Victoria Couture and many more.

Also gracing the occasion were celebrities and Gift Gate image endorsers like Janice De Belen, Billy Crawford, Derek Ramsey and Anne Curtis as well as Kunihiko Tsuji, son of Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji.

Originally established in Japan by the elder Tsuji as the Yamanashi Silk Company in 1960 with only 1.0 million yen in capital, Sanrio went on to become a multi-billion dollar company that continues to produce a line of character-based merchandise for gift-giving occasions. The company adopted the name Sanrio in 1973, from the Spanish word “San” and the Portuguese one “Rio” meaning “saint” and “river” respectively.

The younger Tsuji was very pleased with how well-loved Hello Kitty is all over the world, especially among Filipinos. “When it was established in your country 30 years ago, Gift Gate was the first Filipino agent of Hello Kitty outside of Japan,” he exclaims. “I am very pleased with the kind of support enjoyed by Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters in your country under Virgie Ramos. I know she will operate and manage a gorgeous and well-managed store because she loves Hello Kitty so much.”

For her part, Ramos who recalls bringing Hello Kitty here as the very first character carried by Gift Gate, says she still remembers the first Hello Kitty item she ever bought: “A very cute toothbrush,” she laughs. “Well, Hello Kitty fans can certainly get a lot more than just a toothbrush here at Sanrio Luxe.”

Indeed, they can. Some of the more interesting things among the 550 items available in the store include a white gold crown that, at P300,000, is easily the most expensive Hello Kitty item in the country, a limited-edition Hello Kitty X Vabene Watch, Hello Kitty Gel Lyte III sneakers by Asics, a Sanyo Xacti Hello Kitty videocam, large Loungefly bags with bow ID tags, Crystal Ball handbags, luggages, boots, retro coffemakers, sunglasses and more.

Even the more affordable items, from the P250 a pop memo pads to the P700 to P1,000 key chains, ponytail holders, cosmetic pouches and cellphone straps, look pretty dang hot, too.

“And there will be more to come soon and not just imported Hello Kitty merchandise but also our very own,” Ramos beams. “Cecile Zamora Van Straten is going to make something for Hello Kitty. You watch for that.”

Sanrio Luxe is located at the second level of Greenbelt 5 in Ayala Center, Makati.