Most fashion designers talk about inspirations when they are interviewed about their collections. Sacai's Chitose Abe claimed there was another keyword behind her A/W 2020 menswear and Pre-Fall 20 collections – intuition.
While researching the theme that prompted her to challenge personal preconceptions, Abe found out that Albert Einstein used intuition in the process of his discoveries.
Indeed, the scientist once stated: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."
Chitose Abe knows pretty well that her gift stands in a well-developed vocabulary based on functional and practical designs with just a little bit of a conceptual twist, and, following her intuition, she decided to update her fashion glossary in a minimal way, obtaining remarkable results.
The designer used clever constructions of layers, patterns and volumes to create new styles and looks: her collections, showcased last Saturday in Paris opened with womenswear, with military jackets worn over a peacoat, matched with fluidly flowing skirts and paired with thick-soled boots.
From a distance the garments gave the impression of being just one piece, but, if you looked better, you realised this was a clever exercise in layering (a trend for the next A/W season as seen during the men's shows) and you could see where one piece ended and the other started, even though in other cases (for example, a denim jacket matched with a wool pencil skirt), the designer actually combined two pieces together with a zipper.
The knitwear offer also incorporated several zippers to help the wearer creating temporary slashes in the designs.
Men's looks went along the same lines, even though at times they betrayed a more relaxed urban and casual attitude.
Many designs incorporated elements taken from utility clothing, such as ample pockets, and looked like elegant reinventions of uniforms in which rigid tailoring was juxtaposed to soft silhouettes and materials.
Juxtapositions of fabrics like denim and tweed were for Chitose Abe another way to follow her own intuition and come up with trench coats that integrated wool panels and dresses that incorporated animal spots or tartan motifs.
Cosmic-themed bandanas featuring artwork by tattoo artist Dr. Woo introduced a softer theme to the collection with trousers constructed from bandanas and skirts and tops made with silk scarves.
Most looks were accessorised with necklaces made from signet rings and with sneakers designed in collaboration with Nike and dubbed "Vaporwaffle", as they are based on the Vapor runner (they will be available from July to coincide with the Tokyo Olympic Games).
A final tribute to Einstein was to be found towards the end of the show – a T-shirt with the scientist with his tongue sticking out and the quote "I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am."
