Last fall, from October 30th to November 2nd, the fashion-focused coworking space "coromoza" hosted "WORKS," an exhibition connecting creators. Seven participating brands emphasized the warmth of handcrafted items and the unique craftsmanship of unique pieces. These unique brands distinguished themselves from established fashion.
SEi, the brand of Vantan student knitwear designer Sei Yumiko, won second place at the 2013 Asia Fashion Collection and was selected to participate in New York Fashion Week in February. Based on the concept of "connecting," her brand is "knit haute couture," a style that is the polar opposite of mass production. Each piece is hand-knitted. She designs her clothes with the idea of creating a special piece for someone special. Her passion for knitwear stems from the fact that "yarn connects various things and is imbued with feelings for people." Using her own dyed yarn, she values the unique chance of creating something unique, creating unique pieces. The fluffy, scarf-like headgear on display at the venue exuded a warmth and presence that was almost like a living creature.
"MITTAN" offers "new contemporary ethnic clothing" designed by Takeshi Mitani. It uses Japanese kimono fabric and Asian fabrics from India, Laos, China, and other regions, incorporating natural dyes and antique textiles. Mitani worked at Hinaya, a Kyoto textile manufacturer specializing in dyeing and weaving, where he gained experience with non-European manufacturing. "I want to edit Asian culture and share it from Japan. I try to give it a modern feel, avoiding it becoming too ethnic." The collection, highlighting the textures and soft colors, is simple yet sophisticated, fitting into modern life.
"TONTONTONTUTU" is a brand created by Bunka Fashion College graduates Wataru Shuto and Tomoaki Taka, and operates a shop and atelier called "Morse Noise" in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. They also have an online store on Stores.jp. Based on the theme of "fashion with one foot in the gutter," the brand presents playful, witty, and parodic items ranging from New Era caps and Tokyo T-shirts to digitally embroidered vintage clothing. Each item is essentially one-of-a-kind. With the aim of "changing the way people see fashion," the brand showcases its new collections through music promotion techniques, including a street performance tour and promotional videos uploaded to YouTube. Other participating brands include ROGGYKEI, a fashion brand by designers Jin Korogi and Keiko Miyakoshi; mifrel, which combines antiques with a modern twist to create products that reflect the passion of their creators; ISLAND HOPPING, which produces handmade leather goods that combine ethnic costumes from around the world with genuine leather; and synaesthesia, a shoe brand known for its graphics and organic forms. Although Nishida of "coromoza" said that the items were not selected, the keywords used by the exhibiting brands - handcrafted, handmade, craft, ethnic costumes, haute couture, one-of-a-kind items - suggested one direction for the next generation of fashion, which aims to deliver small-scale but meaningful and rare items to those who truly desire them. This also seems to reflect the sense of crisis that today's creators feel about fashion.
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