japan fashion week: anrealage

(images via style)

though we have only been following designer kunihiko morinaga’s atelier of anrealage (アンリアレイジ) a relatively short number of seasons (see s/s 2012, a/w 2012, s/s 2013), i’d say i have no problem in banding on to the popular train of thought regarding his work, and loudly proclaiming that i understand what all the fuss is about. after all, pretty much every season i think i can say with some confidence we all know we’re in for something special.

his collections usually end up a mash up of technological advancement and high fashion, resulting in something that we might see in a science-y magazine (don’t you think? particularly with this one), although before we actually delve into that business, i want to take this moment to point out that the models sported the same kind of play-doh-y hair we first saw at aleksey zalevskiy (s/s 2011) and more recently chez givenchy (a/w 2013). so i’m putting a pin in this as a possible new trend.

but anyway, the concept, this time ’round. the range, held at tokyo’s ebisu garden hall, according to the japanese site fashion snap, was called ‘colours,’ or ‘colour,’ and began with pieces in black and white, which eventually transitioned to solely monochromatic white looks, kind of like those worlds in crayon commericials, which the kids got to transform as they were suddenly granted access to some fabulous crayola action.

and that was pretty much the way the clothes themselves transitioned, too, with apparel web explaining that the designer had dyed the pieces with (trans.) “a special dye that changes colour when bathed in light, invented under the guise that transformer colour will move.” they did note, though, that while this could differentiate the tones of the pieces, the prints themselves stayed intact, as we could see them under the changing lights retaining their looks, as a base.

and on the more superficial level, as ever, we heard wwd summing things up in their fashion, announcing that “Kunihiko Morinaga is known for his innovative collections based around a singular concept. His fall show started with a series of looks in black, white and gray prints, with color slowly appearing in the form of bright aqua polka dots and pink flowers.”

“Halfway through,” they prattled on, “Morinaga surprised his audience by sending two models in what looked like stark white lab coats on to a revolving platform in the center of the stage. As the platform turned and the lights came up, the colors of the clothes changed, morphing into candy-hued pastels reminiscent of Easter eggs. This technique carried on for the rest of the show, which capped off with a few dramatic pieces in layered lace.”

and as ever rather detail-oriented, the excellent fashion press noted that (another reason to want to own these clothes), they should change when exposed to sun or different lights for extended periods, while adding that (trans.) “(w)hite noise, such as dust storms that flow, came early in the show, with completely black and white monotone looks that followed. There was also some completely monochromatic patchwork in the archive. Only some polka dots, zigzag, checks, and camouflage [as prints, and], the pattern is gradually coloured, while the collection will continue to increase the number of colours gradually.” maybe in the end we could argue it was more about textiles than fashion, but nevertheless, it was absolutely intriguing, and i’m glad to have seen it, for the cuts themselves. i mean, no boring shirtdresses here, as a western designer might have done.

(watch the complete fashion show video here)

japan fashion week: anrealage

(images via wwd)

wow. so during the course of the anrealage (アンリアレイジ) some 22-look s/s 2013 collection, presented at japan fashion week in tokyo, i don’t believe there was a single exit i didn’t love.  and not that i’m, like, the definitive word, or anything like that, but i tend to think that rousing the fan base in this manner is always a good sign.  of course, we should probably also clarify going in that the house (see s/s 2012 & a/w 2012) tends to be a lot more avant garde than your typical label, perhaps to some degree even by japanese standards, so i can understand that some kids might be scared off.

still with me?  gumdrops.  it’s their loss if they don’t like it, i say! anyway, the spring range was called ‘bone,’ and fashion snap explained that the show was presented at the laforet museum in tokyo’s roppongi district, and it represented (if i’m understanding and translating correctly) designer kunihiko morinaga’s 20th with the label.  anyway, the blog tokyo telephone explained that the range represented “Kunihiko Morinaga’s vision of clothes stripped to their very bones.”

whew.  get that?  it’s always something with anrealage! the blog actually went on to explain that there was a further presentation with some of the brand’s more commercial work, while the pieces we’re seeing of ‘bone’ have been softened a bit for the retail world, which makes me a little sad personally, but i suppose also makes good economic sense. or, as they put it, “(t)he high concept bone shell layers have also been simplified for retail, these simple designs can be slipped on over anything to make the most mundane outfit magnificent – and are surprisingly cheap to boot.”  the latter part gets me excited again, so, like, there, right?

but i’m sorry, back to the sartorial discussion before us.  so anyway, the amazing-amazing japanese site fashion press explained that the presentation was staged on a mostly dark catwalk, with the models glowing as if they’d been lit up by an x-ray machine, as if the sort of ‘meat’ of the clothes were gone, and all that was left remaining to be seen were the, yes, bones of the pieces themselves, rather cage-like as they framed the models’ bodies.

the site also went on to quote the designer as explaining that (trans.) “(i)nstead of tattered in holes in clothes, opening the hole to the extreme, I wanted to create a form of clothing at its simplest, that is made in terms of lines, and also laser-trimmed plaid and polka dots, leaving only the line. Beautiful clothes that have only lines.”  i suppose this idea of looking at the frame of clothing isn’t necessarily new, but i liked the way the designer played with the lines, manipulating the body and presenting different patterns and cuts, which at once felt very real, and yet, an illusion all the same. 

in the end, we could probably have a discussion about the commercial viability of the range, but i suppose ultimately, this felt a lot more like a museum installation piece to me than your typical runway fodder.  and that really sometimes makes fashion criticism difficult—when it crosses the not-clearly- delineated-line into art’s territory—and becomes something utterly other. and maybe it’s not the right conversation for the moment, but i’m always kind of left wondering whether those who bray the loudest as naysayers against this kind of clothing would feel differently if the designers proclaimed it ‘art’?

no matter, i think, because that’s so clearly what it is, and if they can’t see that, it’s simply their own loss. although i’d definitely want to wear that fiery orange blazer, all the same.  and the black-and-white grid dress.  i mean, who wouldn’t? what was that thing about the prices, again….? (see additional runway images at style & japanese streets)

(enjoy the full collection video here)

japan fashion week: anrealage

(images via wwd)

when first introduced to designer kunihiko morinaga’s label anrealage (アンリアレイジ) last season for s/s 2012, i lauded the work as being the kind of impressive intellectual feat that, for me, those presenting in tokyo during japan fashion week do so well.  although it was wearable, it was also a rather complex concept (the clothes mimicking silhouettes like bags and fuller shapes)—that kind of collection that not only leaves one wondering, ‘how on earth did anyone come up with this idea?’ but also musing about the construction itself and how it was done so well.  to be frank, the anrealage f/w 2012 range maybe wasn’t quite as fantastically constructed in terms of leaving us scratching our heads, but the idea was one of the more intriguing i’ve encountered in a while, and fortunately, mr. morinaga was equal to it. 

the collection, according to the japanese site ameblo, was called ‘time’, and was inspired by the idea of, not only time passing, but (trans.) “(t)hat for one second time lags, past and present, as to shape the future as it is at the same time, creating displacement, and design details, prints, and patterns overlap.”  in other words, what we were looking at (though fashion snap argued that it was rather surrealist in nature, or perhaps like the work of marcel duchamp) reminded me a little of pablo picasso’s paintings taking a look at the same object from different perspectives—but this was a garment as seen through the passage of several moments, watching it blur as it transitions through several moments. 

the site trendhunter described the show as “(a)rtistic and alluring,” informing us that the “collection chronicles the history of fashion. From 60s mod-inspired elements and psychedelic tye-died pieces to 80s neon-infused accents.” and sure, the pieces were pretty cool from a broader outlook.  but it was when one got really close that things began to sparkle.  as the japanese site fashion press noticed, mr. morinaga (trans.) “(c)reate(d) a prototype by taking the data from the actual movement of the body, and the shape of the new clothes were made accordingly.”  this manifested in such brilliant details as a stacked heel on a loafer that looked as though it were rising upward (or back down again) at the heel, or as if several heels had been added to the shoe for height, giving it (okay, yes) a surrealist impression.

on their end, wwd reported that “(i)n a similar vein to his pixelated collection two seasons ago, Kunihiko Morinaga showed a strong offering of artistically wearable pieces designed around a singular concept: the passage of time. Both prints — which ranged from polka dots and checks to yellow stars — and silhouettes were stretched, smudged and distorted. The effect was reminiscent of a photocopy gone wrong — a document moved mid-way through the process. There was a strong series of shirt dresses and coats with multiple layered hems, and collars and sleeves in gradating shades of blue, grey or brown. The footwear was also interesting. It included double-soled ankle boots, as well as penny loafers with wedge soles constructed from stacked shoe heels.”

but, as with the best of the conceptual collections (from my viewpoint, at least), even if one chose not to think too much about the inspiration going into the creation of the pieces, they could still be enjoyed on a more visceral level.  the pretty brights of those smudgy prints were quite alluring, as were the cuts themselves—and those shirts and coats in slow colour-wheels of layered fabric (as above) that closed the show were particularly choicey.  yet if one didn’t want to get too avanty about things, those blouses, shirtdresses, and a-line skirts with their muddled, impressionistic blotches of colour (as third from top and below) would fit just as well into a more restricted situation.  so everyone wins!  how i love collections like this one. 

(watch the complete collection video here)

japan fashion week: anrealage

(images via wwd)

perhaps what draws me most to japan’s fashion week in tokyo is the pronounced presence of artist-designers; those who, in addition to making clothes that challenge our notions of the medium, offer garments that can function in the everyday world as well.  designer kunihiko morinaga, of the label anrealage, did this with his s/s 2012 range, titled ‘shell’.  set to the strains of quietly tinkling bells, the japanese site fashion press points out that, although simple on the outside, things may go much deeper internally, as was the concept of this collection. 

working primarily in a palette of white, the site fashion snap writes that the designer adopted particularly malleable, transparent materials (such as polyester, chiffon, and satin) and treated them with heat to stretch and manipulate them in various ways.  “Many of the pieces were simple in theory, but under the experimental eye of Kunihiko Morinaga they became bulbous works of art. Morinaga heated up polyester to such a point that it hardened, creating faux body outlines, pockets, and backpacks on his designs. It might not sound wearable, but the pieces that came in between—ombre cable knit dresses, delicately draped skirts—were subtly beautiful,” said elle. 

mr. morinaga adopted “a vacuum technique on fabric to stretch it over various molds and create 3-D effects. Using this method, he created buttons and flaps on a trenchcoat, a backpack on one look and sunglasses on several dresses. Perhaps his most eye-catching use of the technology came when he affixed busts of the human body — dressed or otherwise — to the models giving them a reverse hunchback appearance. These antics were a little distracting from the more wearable pieces, which included a soft white skirt with a faint colorful pattern running through it and a delicate, tailored blazer also in white,” wrote wwd. 

in some of the more heavily human body-manipulated looks, i detected hints of the comme des garcons a/w 2010 show, or perhaps some of those figure–morphing looks the mid-career alexander mcqueen loved so well.  however, instead of splicing these exits between some of the more outlandish selections with feathers or tartan those houses would have been wont to consider, the rest of the anrealage show was as soft and delicate as those choices were odd.  some looks had a schoolgirl-style innocence, and by pairing his all-white selections with pastille-shaded loafers (candy-pink or pale yellow, for example), he softened them, relaxed us.  it was a clever strategy, and, i sometimes think, one that defines the great designers from those merely looking to bring drama: an exceptional designer is unafraid to offer seemingly mundane choices, as well.  the interest can be there, we just have to train ourselves to look deeper.