Dear Shaded Viewers,
Gender studies may be one of the hottest issue in the world of fashion today. The question remains: will Men’s Week eventually merge with Women’s Week? Will fashion week be genderless in the future? During this Paris Men’s Week, we have seen lots of designers using female models showcasing men’s garments. Some designers prefer deconstructing the silhouette to blur the borders between masculinity and femininity. However, Junya Watanabe is not a “trendy” designer, the essence of his collection this season was to put value in the beauty of men but in his own particular way.
The show was held in a garage as opposed to a more traditional space for his own fashion carnival. The DJ was standing at the entrance and the dynamic music made everybody want to get up and dance if we were in an underground nightclub in Shibuya Tokyo.
Junya’s men’s collection is more of a commercial value – His designs were inspired by daily life that a more mass market could easily relate to. Continuing with themes from his spring-summer collection, Junya continues to focus on the reconstruction of workwear – policemen, firefighters, builders, security men…In a word, the whole show was oozing with virility. Under the low-key colors there exists a high powered soul.
Duffle coats, preppy style pull-overs and hoodies were reborn with a reflective strip so that you will not pass by unseen. Junya’s garments are accessible to most of the men in the world. However, the normcore make-up, the sloping shoulders on the wool cartigans and jackets, even the smal knitted hats can immediately remind you of the “herbivore men” in Japan.
Apart from the New Balance shoes that run through the whole show, a North Face’s down coat was used to close the show. Other sports/street wear collaborators were also present: Carharrt. Levi’s, Karrimor etc…That is another point that I love about Junya – he creates a bridge between high fashion and what is going on on the street. Example : the mix and match of suits, hoodies and trousers. worn by men in different occupations and classes – No matter who you are or what you do, you can always be a cool Junya’s man.
Later,
Runzhou
