Center Park/TOKYO Kaihoku, located on the second floor of the Isetan Shinjuku Main Building, is showcasing new fall/winter items by Tokyo's emerging designers. The exhibition runs until August 25th. The five designers featured this time are Nukeme, designer of "nukeme," Keisuke Nagami of "hatra," Michiko Nakagawa of "RPKO," Fumito Kogure of "Design Complicity," and Ayano Ichige of "NON TOKYO." Nukeme's brand concept is "clothing as a medium, clothing as a tactile communication tool." The venue will also be selling his signature Nukeme hat (4,306 yen). The front of the cap is embroidered with excerpts from prose by poet and photographer Yoshinori Henguchi (enigmatic phrases such as "I want to be exposed," "Public," and "I don't know"). These hats are sold in Tokyo, Osaka, London, and Berlin, and his surreal communication style is said to be well-received worldwide. His unique expression has also been hailed by the media; in 2012, his "Glitch" embroidery piece, which intentionally creates a system error in a sewing machine, was selected as a jury recommendation at the 16th Japan Media Arts Festival by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Hatora's Nagami Keisuke launched his own brand in 2010 and established a new, high-quality "hoodie as a luxury item" by concentrating his brand image on the casual parka category. The venue will feature an Isetan-exclusive oatmeal-colored zip-up parka (¥33,000) as well as a parka (¥37,000) in collaboration with Nukeme, featuring cute embroidered food designs of cakes, grapes, cherries, and dumplings near the opening. Non Tokyo is a brand launched in Spring/Summer 2014 by Ayano Ichige, formerly of "banal chic bizarre." This season's theme is "Madonna of the Battlefield," inspired by Marilyn Monroe, who visited the US military on the Korean Peninsula during the Korean War. The collection showcases a wide range of styles, from masculine military pieces and the dressy feminine style she wore on stage in front of soldiers, to streetwear like the ribbed sweatshirt (¥24,000) for mature women. Nakagawa Michiko of Rupco launched her brand in 2014, specializing in delicate yet bold combinations of different materials, and pursuing comfort that only women can appreciate. A blouse with knitted sleeves (¥28,000), a sweatshirt (¥14,000), and a dress shirt (¥16,000) were featured at the event. The brand name "Lupko" means "brightness" or "vividness" in Russian, and it embodies the idea of "a style that will brighten your step and give you just that little bit of encouragement."
Kogure Fumito of Design Complicity is known for his unisex silhouettes, created from a single piece of fabric using unique patterns that combine flat and three-dimensional shapes. This time, they are selling casual yet stylish long sweat jackets in light gray and dark gray (30,000 yen), as well as a navy color exclusive to Isetan. After working as the chief pattern maker for ANREALAGE, Kogure launched his own brand in 2011. The brand's concept is "to design each individual's lifestyle through clothing, as a tool for living carefully."
