SULVAM's Fall/Winter 2017-18 collection was unveiled on January 12th at Pitti Immagine Uomo 91 in Florence, Italy. Two years ago, the brand participated in a joint show as a new designer at the invitation of Moda Unica, a fabrics trade fair in Milan, but this was their first time presenting a full collection overseas. Perhaps a cry for liberation from the increasingly overly controlled nature of modern society, the untied laces of sneakers were metaphorically worn around the neck like chokers or dangled from outerwear and pants as drawstrings. The oversized camouflage coat, pants with intricately alternating patterns and stitching, and oversized striped shirts featured cutwork to create a variety of silhouettes.

All of the items are made by layering and separating loosely woven materials, including knitwear that makes the most of the weight of the fabric in the silhouette, making it seem as if the collection is rebelling against the high-speed industrial structure.

Designer Teppei Fujita worked as a pattern maker for Yohji Yamamoto's collection before going independent and starting his own brand in 2014. In 2015 he was the winner of "Who is on Next Dubai" and was invited to exhibit a booth at Pitti Uomo in June last year. This time, the runway show was held with the support of JFW (Japan Fashion Week Association).

At a local press conference, he said, "I will show a new way of making clothes that is different from the traditions of Naples, items that are in line with the times and different from the interpretation of Yohji Yamamoto, who was influenced by the Antwerp Six, and a runway that represents the royal road of a new mode that is on the lines of Japanese fashion and different from 'street'." Commenting on his own age of 32, he said, "Compared to overseas designers, I can't really be called young," revealing his sense of crisis about the current situation in Japan.

Text: Noda Tatsuya