Theater Products recently announced the retirement of Nakanishi Taeka, who has worked on the design of "THEATRE PRODUCTS" alongside Takeuchi Akira since the brand's founding in 2001. Nakanishi explained, "The decision came after exploring the best way forward for the brand and for raising my daughter, who was born last spring." It's a truly humane decision, embodying the brand's happy atmosphere and making you smile. While many will be sad to see her resign, no one will question it. Nakanishi's final Spring/Summer 2013 collection will surely be a special one for her ardent fans, and coveted items are expected to be scrambled for. Much like the hiatus of "GREEN," which recently announced its relaunch under the brand name "HYKE,"...

Successor to Nakanishi will be Fujiwara Miwa, current designer at ensemble THEATRE PRODUCTS, who will be in charge of designing for Theatre Products together with Takeuchi Akira from the Fall/Winter 2013 season. After working in planning for Tomorrowland, Fujiwara joined Theatre Products in 2009. She was primarily in charge of planning accessories, but her unique and delicate worldview was well-received, and she launched Ensemble in Fall/Winter 2011.

I think Fujiwara's unique qualities lie in her technique for making cheap materials such as PVC and fake fur look luxurious with a touch of flamboyance, and her "Showa-era Western sensibility," which she developed from growing up surrounded by a variety of objects in her family's clothing store. I've only seen her in photos, but she embodies the "Showa-era Western" aesthetic of Hotel New Japan's New Latin Quarter interior and the wine-red velvet interior of the S12# Crown, as well as the "orthodox traditional" European aesthetic she cultivated during her time at Tomorrowland. The accessories and Western-style items in her ensembles are a mix of these two elements. Her beige gown, which would look out of place on anyone but Yujiro Ishihara's mistress, and her stocking-material pump covers, which look both elegant and like SM paraphernalia, are deeply etched in my memory. Her most recent collection featured striking white pumps decorated with pearls, which she says she "likes so much I bought two pairs." She has an uncontrollable love for craftsmanship, and she's one of the few female designers who exudes the innocent, fashion-loving vibe of "I made this (heart mark)" that's often seen among men's artisan designers. Fujiwara modestly states, "While cherishing the worldview of Theater Products to date, I want to challenge myself to create an expression that people will also find appealing." I can't wait to see how the worldview showcased in the ensemble will be sublimated into this line.

Fujiwara's partner, the gentle and taciturn Takeuchi, is known for his equally maniacal sensibility. Among the vast ranks of male designers in their 30s, Takeuchi possesses a particular knowledge of vintage clothing (especially prewar EU items). With his personal label, "PASCAL DONQUINO," Takeuchi delights fashion enthusiasts with a unique take on the first generation of men's domestic fashion (my own naming, I'm guessing), such as "TOKITO," "M16," "Scye," and "mando." This pairing has the potential to create a powerful harmony if they work together. Of course, there's a chance that it might be too niche and not be well-received by the general public, but there's no need to worry, as the brand is also a master strategist, implementing a dominant strategy that involves three directly managed stores with different concepts within a two-kilometer radius of Shibuya and Harajuku, a strategy unheard of for a typical domestic brand. Recently, they've collaborated with Kaneko Isao's Pink House, a truly wonderful collaboration that spans many years, and one can only admire the vigorous planning skills of this fashion house, regardless of genre or fame. The duo's first collection is scheduled to be unveiled at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo 2013-14 AW, running from March 17th to 23rd. Keep an eye out.