HELLO, SHIBUYA TOKYO FASHION AND CULTURE MIX SHOW WITH SINGAPORE, a fashion and cultural event featuring a mix of both Japanese and local artistry takes place over 17 days from 22 Feb to 10 March, at the Atrium Space in Plaza Singapura. Fashion and art aficionados can immerse themselves in this subculture directly imported from the cool streets of Shibuya, Tokyo.
MAJOR EXCITING-NESS!!! *foaming in the mouth* Creative collaborations always turn me on, particularly because it’s a synthesis of two individual creative bodies with signature styles coming together to give birth to an exciting new alchemy.
The event is based on three themes: incubation, local cooperation, and contributions to Shibuya with an inbound focus and will include more than 20 pop-up shops, art exhibitions, fashion shows, and B2B business meetings. Aside from the festivities, collaborations between Japanese and local talents like :phunk studios (my good buddies) and max.tan will see the creation of original dresses, t-shirts, tote bags and mobile phone stickers, all for sale at the pop-up shops.
Some of the Singapore collaborations include original dresses created by ANREALAGE, a popular brand at Tokyo Fashion Week featuring graphic designs by :phunk studios, winner of the Singapore President’s Design Award (*WOOTZ!*). Original t-shirts and tote bags designed in collaboration with Singapore specialty stores like Asylum, blackmarket and BooksActually together with Japanese designers will also be on sale at the pop-up shops. iPhone stickers designed by participating PARCO Next NEXT designers will also be available.
An introduction of some of the players whose work you’ll get to see in this collaborative pop-up event:
Anrealage (Japan)
Anrealage is a combination of words of “A Real (daily), Unreal (unordinary) and Age (an era)”. The designer, Kunihiko Morinaga, pursues the values in making clothes under the concept of “God is in the details” (one of my fave quotes by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe). Kunihiko Morinaga sent his models down the runway during SS13 presentation in glow-in-the-dark “cages” enveloping their dresses. I LURV this collection very much! The geometric prints and the 3-dimensional boning elements really add a very bold spunky punch to the outfits. Very futuristic/sci-fi like and super avant-garde.
mintdesigns (Japan)
Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi’s mintdesigns are a respected womenswear label with a store in Shibuya’s celebrated Parco. Beautiful prints and patterning are major elements of this label and they often play around with quirky headgear and lace. In 2010, the label won Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix prize, a prestigious industry award presented by Tokyo’s Mainichi newspaper (which is a big deal in Japan; in 1983 the prize went to Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo). Incidentally, Hokuto Katsui studied at Parsons School of Design in New York – so, hello alumni! ;)
Theatre Products (Japan)
Theatre Products is a Japanese fashion brand founded in 2001 and currently based in Roppongi, Tokyo. The brand’s founders, and as of 2007, its main designers are Akira Takeuchi and Tayuka Nakanishi. Their concept is in line with their name – “Clothing that makes all the world a stage”. Collection above is from AW 2006-07 runway presentation.
Rêvasseur (Singapore)
RÊVASSEUR, which means ‘daydreamer’ in French, is a mix of whimsical and avant garde designs, with strong silhouettes, a play on textures and prints, and some down-right outrageous OTT novelties. RÊVASSEUR aims to bring “fun” back into fashion, to encourage its wearers to experiment and to make a statement with a personal style that is uniquely theirs.
A-DEGREE-FAHRENHEIT (Japan)
If one were to condense the philosophy of “A DEGREE FAHRENHEIT” into a simple formula, it would be this: enriching the uniqueness of the individual. The man behind this label is designer Yu Amatsu. His latest collection was dedicated to the number 1292. 1292 degrees Fahrenheit is the point at which glass begins to melt, and Yu Amatsu took this moment of transition from sharp material to a fluid state as his inspiration. Entirely in white, his designs catch the eye with their flowing, unusual silhouettes, which contrast with angular cut-outs and delicate mesh inlays. Shown above are part of SS2013 runway collection.
Pauline Ning (Singapore)
Pauline.Ning is Singapore’s new emerging independent designer label that produces urban ready-to-wear feminine clothing with a touch of edginess, blending contemporary fashion and traditional hand-crafted work. Created with the trend-setter in mind, Ning consistently delivers organic shapes and innovative fashion trends that meet the needs of the individual mind. Her designs, infused with the perfect mix of opposites – raw and refined, structured and soft – are statement pieces by themselves.
max.tan (Singapore)
After graduating in 2006 at the top of his school in Fashion Design from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Max Tan went on to show his first collection at the Singapore Fashion Week in 2007 and was awarded the second runner-up position at the Singapore Fashion Designers Content. With the recognition that he received from the competition, Max started his own label max.tan and continued to create one-off pieces and capsule collections to meet the increasing demand for his designs. Androgynous meets soft geometry : experimenting with quirk cuts and expanding on extremely simple ideas, Max conjures up silhouettes that conceal the wearer’s form, creating a new shape altogether. I am happy to say that I own a couple of max.tan items in my wardrobe, one being a skirt with fun gathers stragetically placed to give it a new shape.
Matohu (Japan)
Designers Hiroyuki Horihata and Makiko Sekiguchi translated musings of kimono wearing into a collection, Matohu (pronounced MA-TO-U). Since launching it in 2005, Horihata and Sekiguchi have subtly mined the motifs of traditional Japanese culture, recasting them as gracefully molded coats, delicate textured tops and wrap dresses.
GVGV (Japan)
GVGV is a Japanese brand under the creative helm of a designer who goes by the name Mug. After graduating from the Kuwasawa Design School, Mug laid down the foundations of her own brand in 1999 that has come to be known as G.V.G.V. Mug’s world is represented by a mix of femininity and masculinity, with free sensitivity that is present in every season’s collection. G.V.G.V. has now become one of the most attractive Tokyo fashion labels.
Murua (Japan)
Murua brand concept: Feminine mode. When girls who hide away their inner strength wear cute clothes, it attracts both sexes. It increases their appeal. Strength expressed in cool mode fashion coordination, and femininity incorporated through feminine details and materials, the combination of these elements delivers maximum brilliance and lures one to feminine mode of their balance.
With all these exciting designers featured, and many more, Hello, Shibuya Tokyo pop-up event is definitely going to be very exciting! Don’t miss it. :D
xo,
-MB.
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