From Japanese Cuteness to British Inspiration in Tokyo
We take you to the Far East as day three of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO (MBFWT) concludes. The collections ranged from Japanese cuteness and British inspiration, to reggae and street styles.
Known for being a springboard for young, emerging talent, several designers made their debut in this season’s MBFWT. Among these was Hiroki Uemura with the ByU brand, which presented a collection combining the popular Japanese cuteness factor with British style. The collection included a series of looks decorated with flowers, ruffles and fur. Dresses, jumpsuits and pants featured in the collection complemented by feathered hats, sneakers and boots. Colours ranged from black and white to rosy and browns.
Motohiro Tanji, who specialises in handmade knitwear and experiments with textures, also made their debut at MBFWT. The label carrying the name of the designer was established in 2012 and has fast become known as a Japanese Knitwear Label. Characteristic of the young brand, the AW15/16 collection featured a series of remarkable knitwear dresses, pants and scarfs in electric blue, black and grey.
At the other end the week saw collections by established designers and brands that are veterans in the fashion world. A Degree Fahrenheit, by Yu Amatsu, presented a collection reflecting a relaxed and comfortable yet sophisticated street style. Amatsu, who is well versed in the world of fashion, worked for years in New York as a pattern maker for Marc Jacobs. While A Degree Fahrenheit represents his own label, the designer recently joined the famous Japanese fashion house Hanae Mori.
Takeo Kikuchi, a brand established in 1984 presented a collection of funky vintage looks mixed with contemporary street and reggae. The brand saw the founder return to the runway after stepping aside in 2004. Smooth yet punk, raw yet stylish the collection took British tailoring to a different level. Models walked and danced down the runway to reggae tunes, in oversized blazers and pants, dreadlocks, trousers cut of at the knee, double-breasted jackets, bare tattooed torsos, porkpie hats and fedoras.
Last but not least Yuma Koshino, who made her debut as an independent designer in 1998, presented an unconventional, vibrant collection under the theme Metropolitan Nomad. The collection featured a colourful series of diverse city wear looks worn by models with peculiar makeup, hair set up and accessories inspired by nomadic tradition. Dresses, jackets, pants, skirts, coats, colourful tights, cardigans, oversized knits and scarfs were featured in the collection often in multiple layers. Yuma Koshino started her career learning from the best in Paris as a trainee at the atelier of Kenzo Takada. She joined Hiroko Koshino in 1997 right before launching her debut collection as Yuma Koshino and has since functioned as an independent brand within Hiroko Koshino.
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