On October 12th, Theater Products presented their 17SS collection in the form of an installation at VACANT in Harajuku. The venue featured a mix of mannequins and models, with merchandise displayed on a carpet, evoking the souks of Africa and the Middle East. In stark contrast to last season's futuristic lunar travel, the collection focused on the real-life styles of people living on Earth. The collection, centered around this season's theme of "GOLDMINE" (meaning a pile of trash is a treasure trove for everyone), incorporated ethnic influences from Afro, Arab, and Asian cultures, including prints evocative of the African kanga, Muslim-style hijab dresses, kaftans, and sari skirts. The collection also featured knitwear printed with Theater Products in Hindi, T-shirts featuring the empty hand cream box motif from the music video, skirts wrapped around heads, bags worn on heads, and bags slung around necks, all of which offer a uniquely Theater Products-inspired look. He enjoys the new values that are born from rethinking stereotypical styling taboos, such as gathering, changing the volume of shirring, layering, and wrapping fabric.

Recycled materials are consciously used, but original textiles such as mud dyeing and tie-dyeing from Amami Oshima and hand-painted terry cloth are also used in line with the theme of the collection, creating the image of flotsam that has crossed the sea.

The installation that took place this time will also be open to the public on the first day of Amazon Fashion Week TOKYO, which JFW (Japan Fashion Week Organization) starts on the 17th.

Text: Noda Tatsuya