In yesterday’s post I looked at the transformations Japanese designers brought into fashion in the last 30 years through avant-garde and experimental creations.
Following that thread I would like to briefly focus today on Japanese menswear tailoring and look at the work of two different labels, Takizawa Shigeru and Ryoji Okada.
I admit I’m absolutely fascinated by the way Japanese tailors have been studying the Italian and English traditions, blending the Neapolitan, Sicilian and Milanese schools with Savile Row style and taking the best out of them to recreate a new Japanese tradition.
You may think the result of such experiment is a scary hybrid, but in fact it’s a high quality and impeccably cut product.
Born in 1964, Takizawa Shigeru attended in the ‘80s a school specialised in menswear tailoring and later on founded his brand, training also in Italy and developing products with Issey Miyake's "IM Product".
His designs move from four inspirations: the elegance of horse riding, the functionality of military clothes, the refined grace of the Renaissance court and the elegance of British menswear.
These inspirations are then combined with the work of Japanese artisans and with state of the art technology.
The textiles used to create Takizawa Shigeru’s creations are indeed produced in two different factories called Iwanaka and Imashin-Keori, located in Bishu, in the centre of Japan.
This area is famous for its ancient textile history and the materials employed to make Takizawa Shigeru's garments are usually based on original textiles made with blends of virgin wool.
Both the factories produce unique textiles based on the Japanese heritage, though the Imashin-Keori factory produces a higher level textile made with a special yarn that apparently looks rough and heavy, but it’s actually soft and light.
The company also owns factories that take care of the smallest details of suits and shirts, such as pockets with 3mm x 3mm piping and perfect shoulder lines, hand-finishing the designs (Takizawa Shigeru has two lines - the fully handmade called 'Purple Label' and the ready-to-wear line 'Black Label') that are then sold to costumers in the Salone Ondata based in Tokyo’s Ginza district.
"A Workroom by Ryoji Okada" is instead a prêt-à-porter label launched in 2010 by Ryoji Okada.
Born in 1971, Okada originally wanted to become a musician and started playing the piano, trumpet and guitar from an early age.
After graduating from Mejigakuin University, Okada decided instead to step into the world of fashion.
He learnt his trade from a bespoke Savile Row tailor and started combining the English and Japanese traditions in his cutting edge designs. In 2002 he opened his own store in Tokyo, becoming the favourite label of many local rock stars, actors and photographers.
His Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection is called “Hidden Statements” and, inspired by love, passion and rock’n’roll music, features edgy looks that are perfect for the modern dandy.
Yet tailoring is not Okada’s only interest: he still plays music and has also got his own band, the very aptly named “Ryoji and The Perfect Gentlemen”.
Young fashion design students who do not consider menswear tailoring as a viable career, should maybe take inspiration from these labels that are renewing solid tailoring traditions without forgetting high quality materials and impeccable cutting techniques.
Italian tailoring companies who have been sitting, resting and relaxing or looking at the future with very confused ideas (just one mention - Brioni - but the list is long...), thinking they were safe and didn't have any proper competitors, should try instead to wake up from their tailoring slumber as soon as possible and even start looking at collaborations with these designers (actually Takizawa Shigeru already employed in some of his suits Ermenegildo Zegna's textiles).
New competitors are indeed coming from the Land of the Rising Sun and they are ready to attack not with swords and shurikens like samurais or ninjas, but with scissors and needle.
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Posted by: promoter hostess | August 06, 2011 at 09:24 AM
Takizawa Shigeru is a great man and over the past years I keep on researching about his achievements and the lates trend he contributed in the fashion world, definitely Takizawa is one of the toughest stylist in the era.
Posted by: Vested | August 19, 2011 at 07:03 AM