Above left Christian Dada. Above right Vivienne Tam.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo wrapped up Sunday as cherry blossoms bloom in Japanâs capital. Over the last couple of seasons, Tokyo Fashion Week kept its target on European and Japanese buyers and audiences, but this season, it has eyed the growing Asian market, especially China. It makes sense since Chinese consumers have now become the worldâs leading buyers of luxury goods.
Japanese fashion brand Christian Dada was the fashion week opener for the autumnâwinter 2013â14 collections. Christian Dadaâs designer, Masanori Morikawa, is known as a stage costume designer for the American pop singer Lady Gaga during her Born This Way Ball 2012 tour. Morikawa has been showcasing his signature style with a rebellious yet silent dark beauty, but this season he got inspiration from a Chinese mythological bird called the fenghuang (phoenix), which is the theme of his collection. Leather jackets and pants are mainly in black and white with blue, red and gold patterns representing the fenghuang. The most memorable moment of Morikawaâs show was definitely his signature tall boots with bird wings.
Chinese-born designer Vivienne Tam held a special runway show during Tokyo Fashion Week to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her brand in Japan. Tam presented the same collection she first showed at New York Fashion Week for the lunar New Year. Chinese calligraphy added unexpected twists in her latest collection in a modern and punk-like way, which successfully engaged with the fashion-savvy Japanese audience.
Johan Ku, a Taiwanese designer, presented his signature knit collection. This season, Ku revealed the sexiness of a womanâs silhouette, with the theme of Anna, the female lead in the 1992 movie Damage. Unlike his last several collections, this season was full of pieces that showed off plenty of skin using holes, fringes, and asymmetric necklines. They all look randomly placed but are well calculated, demonstrating Kuâs skill of knit-work, boosted since his last collection.
Japanese veteran designer Hiroko Koshino was one of the highlighted designers at Tokyo Fashion Week, presenting her collection on the last day. She also eyed the growing Asian market as she presented her new âeast meets westâ look. In her collection, Floral Memories, it was not just flower-patterned dresses that walked down the runway. Her floral inspiration was everywhere: from texture of fabric, colour choice and make-up, to draping and rounded silhouettes on each of her looks. The natural phenomena of flowers were represented in an artistic form, rather than the romantic image which many designers use.
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan has been investing a full effort to shift its gear towards marketing its brand outside the country, especially to the growing Asian market. There are still criticisms that Tokyo Fashion Week is marketing internally, while the fashion-savvy audience in Japan is interested in street fashion, which they call ‘real clothes’, as opposed to high fashion from the runway. Tokyo Fashion Week continues to tackle those challenges, and the next several seasons will be key to turning things around, to become a new trend-setting global destination.âYuka Murai, YM Biz & Media
Japan Fashion Week Organization
Above left Johan Ku. Above right Hiroko Koshino.
Yuka Murai of YM Biz & Media is a correspondent for Lucire.
Otago Polytechnic graduate Rakel Blom won the ID International Emerging Designer Awards last night in Dunedin, with a collection that tapped into the Zeitgeist of global communities and cross-cultural connections.
Blom, who originally hails from Iceland, told Lucire, ‘My biggest passion is travelling,’ and that she had ventured through Asia and Europe before studying in New Zealand.
That passion saw her design seven garments, one for each continent, although only five were required by the competition. Consequently, Oceania and Antarctica were omitted.
The collection was called The World through My Eyes, and featured prints with designs representing each continent. It had been inspired both by travel and textiles. Judges called it ‘eclectic and joyful, sleek, chic and professional, with intricate detailing and true depth.’
In a release, Assoc Prof Karen Webster, guest judge for the competition, said, ‘It absolutely had the “wow factor” but also real depth. There was incredible intricate detailing, including hand-made buttons, stars cut out of Perspex mixed with bold inspirational prints. The collection was a discovery waiting to be made.’
Blom speaks highly of her Alma Mater but despite the win, which includes a NZ$5,000 prize from Peroni, she says her next focus is to ‘find a job.’
Blom’s collection was the crowd favourite at the Edgar Sports Centre, helped by the support of a local crowd. She competed with designers from Ireland, England, China and Australia.
Judge Stephen Jones, OBE, the famed milliner, said that the key themes for the evening were ‘diversity, globalism and everything made to a perfect degree.’
The 1,300-strong audience included two High Commissioners and a consul, cheering on the UK, Australia and China. It was hosted by Shannon Ryan.
China’s contribution also included 10 international models from the University of Shanghai Engineering Science. Aliana McDaniel led the make-up team backstage for Revlon.
A full report from ID Dunedin Fashion Week will follow in Lucire.âJack Yan, Publisher
Winners
Peroni 1st Place Prize (NZ$5,000): Rakel Blom, School of Design, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Caffè LâAffarè 2nd Place (NZ$3,000 cash): Emma Boseley, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
Strawberry Sound 3rd Place (NZ$1,000 cash): Kathleen Choo, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
Dunedinâs Golden Centre Mall Prize (NZ$1,000) for the most commercial collection: Blathnaid McClean, National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin, Ireland.
Global Fabrics Award for Excellence in Design (NZ$1,000 cash and a NZ$2,000 voucher): Sohong Lim, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.
Four Wellington labelsâPhilippa & Alice, Love Hotel, Mardle, and Highnoonteaâwere part of Willis York’s winter showcase at its Taranaki Street, Wellington premises on a very warm Friday night.
The event, showing the labels’ autumnâwinter 2013 collections, had a total of 20 looks, five from each.
Four models, with hair by Willis York using L’OrĂŠal Professionnel, came down the catwalk in their underwear, each putting on the first look from each label at the end of the catwalk. When the show began in earnest, the model wearing Philippa & Alice stood up and kicked off the first five, with another four models arriving wearing other outfits from the range.
While the number of looks from each label was limited, it gave those attending a good feel of what was on offer: very noticeable tartan jacket and pants from Philippa & Alice; Love Hotel’s focus on kimonos for the autumnâwinter season; Mardle’s comprehensive range of staples, from T-shirts to maxi-dresses; and Highnoontea’s well executed coats and jackets.
They also demonstrate that Wellington designers aren’t afraid to use colour for winter, in line with the Zeitgeist abroad.
Sponsors for the event included Quick Brown Fox, Broken Shed Vodka, ECC Lighting, C. G. R. Merchant & Co., Ultra Shoes, Whittaker’s chocolate, Willis York, Cup o Love Catering, Julian Danger (for the lingerie), and Tag.
We’re pleased to note that all these young labels have continued a high standard. We were only introduced to Mardle and Love Hotel last year, and we’re happy to see their designs get stronger.âJack Yan, Publisher
Nikita Brown/Nikita Brown Photography
Above From the Willis York winter showcase.
Nikita Brown/Nikita Brown Photography
TopLucire publisher Jack Yan and Rhonda Grant. AboveLucire fashion editor Sopheak Seng. Below Behind-the-scenes preparations captured by Nikita Brown.
Indashio, whom Lucire first covered in 2003, and who had styled a number of our print-edition covers in the 2000s, already known through VH1âs Glam God, will host and judge a new series for Fashion One, called Design Genius.
The show sees three designers competing for a top prize of US$25,000. Designers are given three unconventional materials and one inspirational element, from which they have to create an accessory, an undergarment, and a wardrobe.
Fashion One CEO Ashley Jordan says the materials are inspirational and obscure, and that viewers can expect ‘drama and design’ from the international designers.
âIt’s amazing to watch these designers create high fashion garments out of bicycles, beach balls and first-aid kits, and then bring these individual pieces together to create an overall vision,’ said Indashio in a release. ‘It’s about making the unimaginable fashionable ⌠It’s design or die!’ Design Genius aims to push the designers’ creativity to the limits, showing their ingenuity.
The series will have a related worldwide competition, with the public invited to submit photos featuring clothing or accessories that have used unconventional materials. There will be a cash prize for one winner of US$1,000, and the chance to be interviewed for the next season of the show.
The show premières on March 19, 2013, and will be shown every Tuesday at 9 p.m. in the UK and 10.30 p.m. (GMT +8 in Asia and GMT +2 for Europe and Africa) on the Fashion One channel.
There is a Twitter hashtag, #DesignGenius. Fashion One has a Twitter account at fashion_one, and a Facebook page at facebook.com/fashionone. The website for the new series is at www.designgenius.com. Bigfoot Entertainment produces.
Paris editor Lola Saab will have a full report from the ready-to-wear shows during Paris Fashion Week later, but, for now, it’s Collette Dinnigan who has provided us with a comprehensive look at her autumnâwinter 2013â14 range.
Called The Incredible Darkness of Being, Dinnigan tells a story of a woman who lives a ‘quiet albeit stylish life’, with a collection that revels in details and intricacy. She is modest, with plainness and rightness, according to the show notes, but there’s also a ‘deep sexuality’. The colour palette features a base of olive, blues and black, with sky blue and red as highlights.
Materials included wool, of which Dinnigan showed great mastery, leather, French lace, and sequins. There was a strong sense of shape and structure in a luxe collection of separates and dresses.
The collection was shown at the Royal Suite of the HĂ´tel le Meurice and Dinnigan had partnered with Woolmark on the collection.
It is Dinnigan’s first collection since becoming a mother to her four-month-old son, Hunter.
Meanwhile, we have video highlights from other designers at Paris: Lanvin, Issey Miyake, Viktor & Rolf and John Galliano. Scroll down past Dinnigan’s photos for the four videos.
Hennes & Mauritz presented its first catwalk show at Paris Fashion Week, live at the MusĂŠe Rodin and webcast at hm.com.
Among the VIPs were ChloĂŤ Moretz, Tali Lennox, Caroline de Maigret, Ashley Olsen, Pixie Geldof, Lizzie Jagger, Josephine de la Baume, Emma Roberts, Melissa George, Daisy Lowe and Carine Roitfeld.
The autumnâwinter 2013â14 collection showed ‘tailored shapes with delicate dresses to create a tomboy spirit,’ says H&M.
The collection combines dramatic silhouettes with decorative pieces, and features boho and leather jackets, along with an open-backed sequin dress and a cable-knit sweater.
Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser for H&M, who is no stranger to Parisian fashion having overseen many of the label’s collaborations with top designers, says, ‘It is such an exciting step for H&M to show key pieces for autumn in Paris. The event was magical, staged in a chic environment full of atmosphere. It was great to see fashion that’s accessible to everyone presented in one of the most important fashion capitals in the world.’
Since 2004, H&M has been skirting with the top labels in fashion through designer collaborations, but this is the first time the company has shown itself at Paris Fashion Week.
The show was styled by George Cortina, and models included Cara Delevingne, Isabeli Fontana and Arizona Muse. The dĂŠcor was meant to reflect a 1970s Parisian apartment. Owlle and 2 Many DJs performed at the post-show party.
Lucire tends to have a smaller presence in Milano, although we have managed to source three videos from the autumnâwinter 2013â14 collections at fashion week.
Fendi has been going back to its roots, and autumnâwinter 2013â14 is no exception. The abundance of fur (mink and fox) will divide observers, while Karl Lagerfeld kept his silhouette sleek and linear. Emilio Pucci, too, successfully blended past and present under Peter Dundas, who managed to combine the Pucci of the 1960s with a mid-2010s sensibility. There were short skirts, high boots and a lot of fun. Consuelo Castiglioni at Marni, meanwhile, called her collection austere but romantic, though austerity didn’t keep her from putting up plenty of fur as well, alongside wool and silk. There were charcoals and blacks, highlighted with green and red.
Byblos, meanwhile, from which we have images but no video (yet), called its collection ‘Ophelia meets Kate Moss’, a strong pre-RaphaĂŤlite woman complements a Goth heroine for its autumnâwinter 2013â14 vision, which had a sombre mood. Here, too, there were thigh boots mixing with a new romantic look, and jacquard and angora the key fabrics.
As London Fashion Week draws to a close and the circuit moves on to Milano, we have videos from Simone Rocha, Lucas Nascimento, Paul Costelloe, Emilio de la Morena (above), Meadham Kirchhoff, Maria Grachvogel, Roksanda IlinciÄ, Tata Naka, Aminaka Wilmont, Haizhen Wang, and Anya Hindmarch. There is also a day five highlight reel.
Doug Rimingtonâs stunning photographs from London Fashion Week will appear in issue 31 of Lucire in a few monthsâ time, when we run a trend report.
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