FASHION IN TURBULENT TIMES
Subjectivity and objectivity in fashion.VOL.01

The world of fashion is becoming increasingly segmented. There is no longer an absolute right answer, and the era of micro-trends has arrived, where each person enjoys his or her own likes and dislikes. The theme of this fashion feature is "subjective" and "objective. We will summarize the brands HOUYHNHNM's is paying attention to and the dynamic trends we have heard from store buyers in one article each. Let's start with the "subjective" part. We take a look at Taiga Takahashi, which landed in Japan this season, and CFCL, which makes full use of advanced technology such as 3D computer knitting. Although they take different approaches to clothing production, these two brands, both of which are earnest about fashion with the same level of passion, bring to light what they are doing now.

Photo_Kazuma Yamano
Text_Tatsuya Yamaguchi
Edit_Ryo Muramatsu

2021 AW COLLECTION "CLOTHES THAT FEEL THE TIME"

Under the theme of "Clothes with a sense of time," this collection considers how clothes were made in the past. The collection features ambitious works that attempt to relive the past by using techniques and materials that are in decline.

Mr. Takahashi owns a 100-year-old horse-leather jacket. According to Mr. Takahashi, it is "clothing from an era when it was made as a tool. The sleeves and armholes have a pattern that assumes the posture of riding a horse, and it was also used as protective clothing to protect oneself from falling off a horse.

The horseleather jacket was created by studying the 100-year-old jacket shown above. The three-dimensional sleeves are curved even when the jacket is hung, and the jacket is said to have "the vestiges of the days just before American clothes became flat and lean. By understanding the process, we also assume that this is what would happen if these people made clothes in the current era.

We reinterpreted the denim of 'Foremost,' a workwear brand launched by J.C. Penney in the 1920s in the U.S. to compete with 'Levi's,'" says Takahashi. The light-ounce fabric is also original. ¥46,200 (Taiga Takahashi)

In denim fabrics, the warp threads are usually indigo and the weft threads are white. However, by dyeing and weaving the weft threads in a raw color, the bluish indigo becomes a darker overall color," he says. After consulting with the craftsmen, he decided to use raw indigo instead of white to suppress the bluish tint. The designer modernizes the item, saying, "I want to pursue a certain degree of wearability right from the start. ¥31,900 (Taiga Takahashi)