Anrealage's Kunihiko Morinaga is known for his often unconventional approach, and this season he veered into new territory with his “Object” collection.
Imagining the world 100 years from now, he designed a line that accommodated a variety of three-dimensional shapes. These were not human forms, but spheres, pyramids, tetrahedra, and a host of other Platonic solids with names little known outside the lexicon of mathematicians.
At their performance venue, they were covered in their unusual attire and apparently held floating in the air like drones by miniature propellers referencing the popular Japanese cartoon character Doraemon. The designer is a long-time fan and it was just one of the season's collaborations, appearing as a print on one look and inspiring several of the silhouettes. Guests received headbands with spinning propellers to get them in the mood.
Technical difficulties caused the format to be changed to a performance, rather than a parade, at the last minute. Guests expect the unexpected from Morinaga fashion week events, so the issue was less apparent than it might have been for a more traditional brand.
Their models emerged with designs identical to the floating structures, each of which was situated alongside a polyhedral twin.
A silver biker jacket that fit a sphere perfectly had an edgy, out-of-place feel on the human form. The straight lines of brightly colored, wide-striped cottons created loose, boxy silhouettes with crisp lines that contrasted the curves of the human form.
A collaboration with Reebok yielded quilted football-like creations that were actually puffer jackets, while a spherical balloon was a preview of an upcoming collection with Italian brand Herno.
Beneath Morinaga's constant pushing of the technical limits of fashion and her evident intellectual joy in playing with her medium, there was also a celebration of inclusivity here; there were no sizes or restrictions on body shape. These were pieces that would look good on anyone, as long as they adhered to Anrealage's unique aesthetic.
For more Paris Fashion Week reviews, click here.
