AKIKOAOKI held its first solo show at FASHION PORT NEW EAST during Amazon Fashion Week TOKYO on October 22nd. The venue was Miyashita Park.
The brand, which launched in 2014, views fashion as the act of living itself, and offers clothing that reflects the lifestyle and attitude of the wearer. For the SS17 season, the brand used foreign models for the first time, expressing the atmosphere of the late 1990s, when women were increasingly entering the workforce, with the powerful shapes and cool metallic feel that symbolized that era.
The collection featured many decorative looks that combined body-conscious shapes with small floral patterns, polka dots, and stripes, including bold shoulder pads, corsets, puff sleeves, and flared pants with ruffled hems. The mini dress, crafted from rubber sheeting, was a collaboration with Chinami Tokizawa, a finalist at the fashion contest "ITS 2016," and aimed to fuse skin and fabric. These new, distinctive creations were scattered throughout the show, from pleated long dresses to striking skeleton coats. The only consistent element throughout the show was glitter platform sandals, a symbolic nod to that era. The psychedelic eye makeup with large glitter particles and the occasional use of gold perforation were also effective. Intersecting the past and present, capturing the essential sensibility, Aoki Akiko's eyes, fixed on the future, exuded an inner strength.