Junya Watanabe Spring 2021 Menswear

See these dudes? Get ready for who they are: Yusuke Seguchi, a master sushi chef; Taro Osamu, samurai swordsmith; Yutaro Sugitsara, professional fly-fisherman; Takaya Maki and Akira Nakamura, automobile mechanics; Masashi Hirao, bonsai master. We haven’t yet gotten to the bottom of the list of the guys—the honored experts in their fields, all over Japan—whom Junya Watanabe approached to be photographed wearing his spring 2021 men’s collection. But you get the gist. In the necessary shift away from the Paris runway format, Watanabe turned to the heroes of highly specialist traditional and technical professions he reveres. “This collection is designed for people who pursue their work with a sincere attitude all over Japan, and all over the world,” came the explanation. “People who demonstrate a certain authenticity and humility.”

Hardworking clothes for hardworking men—it’s more than a fancy fashion trope in Watanabe’s world. In an important sense, the context of the real-guy look book returns his aesthetic to its rightful roots. For years, his own work has been carving out that ideal masculine space in which the distance between fashion and authentic utilitarian workwear is absolved. Still, while the baseline items—chore jackets, workwear denims, Carhartt khakis, carpenter coats—are durable and fit for purpose, there’s an undeniable romanticism about them. In the middle of a pandemic, with so many people stuck working on screens at home, the valorization of manual skills, of men who get under cars, forge swords, and fish rivers seems all the more vividly poignant.

In his own time of confinement, Watanbe also found room to praise the cool men who uphold social life in Japan, saluting the Kobe bar owner Agobe Osamwentin and the Harajuku DJ-producer Bryan Burton-Lewis. A subtext threaded through these portraits of modern manhood was a list of books Watanabe has on his shelves. You don’t see that overtly stated in this collection, but the print and pattern he used refers to the graphic artists (and other design creatives) whose work forms his pantheon of idols. Coded and loaded with solidarity for what matters, he called this collection a “Manual.”

Source: Vogue

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YUKI HASHIMOTO SS20 WORKWEAR COLLECTION

After the debut of its Spring/Summer 2019 collection, Japan’s up-and-coming brand YUKI HASHIMOTO returns with a lookbook for Spring/Summer 2020. Pursuing a “New Order” that respects the history and culture of fashion while designing pieces that go beyond current trends, “Y27=F2RM7LA” includes experimental, workwear-inspired items along with a variety of sleek leather bags.

T-shirts take on neon-colored stitching, black and white-colored blocks cover the knees of pants and graphics, created by photographer Kazuhito Ishikawa, are found on the backs of T-shirts. The collection subverts conventional ideas of workwear with quirky details that include ties placed on the arms of shirts instead of the fronts, half of a leather vest imposed on a trench coat and moto jacket collars fixed on tweed blazers. YUKI HASHIMOTO also worked in collaboration with KITAYAMA STUDIO, a Beijing-based leather goods brand, to release a variety of bags. Styles include fanny packs, top-handle and over-the-shoulder bags — all in white, gray, black and orange colorways.

Yuki Hashimoto is a Japanese designer who worked as a design assistant for brands such as Raf Simons, Mason Margiela and Kris Van Assche. He draws inspiration from experiences that express raw and sometimes contradictory emotions; his colorful pieces take on dark tones, while mixing different materials and styles.

View YUKI HASHIMOTO’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection above and stay up to date with more of the brand’s releases on its online store.

Source: HypeBeast

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YUIMA NAKAZATO COUTURE FW19-20 SHOW PACKAGE

Yuima Nakazato has been striving to realize a future vision for humanity in which "Eventually, each and every garment will be unique and different." His quest for the pursuit of this radical idea, this democratization of haute couture, began in 2016. Upon rendezvous with Spiber and THE EUGENE studio, the journey begins anew.

Fashion, science and art, a trio of disparate elements that speak to a shared spirit, to a belief in the potential of realizing a future full of hope. The fusion of these three domains by Yuima Nakazato, Spiber, and THE EUGENE Studio leads to a journey expanded in scope and rife with possibilities.

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