Mood board: Watanabe’s clothes have no pomp, no obvious political agenda, and (for this season) no bold logos. He delivers a wardrobe of practicality and technical know-how. For S/S 2019, it consists of multi-pocketed gilets, cargo pants and light windbreakers – the functionality of the garments are pulled into focus. Pockets are exaggerated just so and small bags engineered to fit around the body. Military uniforms are always at the core of his men’s collections. Contemporary menswear does tend to be a battlefield. Radicals such as Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela favoured utilitarian, army detailing at the height of the 1990s – their standardised cuts and efficiency the antidote to the previous, flashier decade. As streetwear, couture detailing and activewear collide, the menswear shows are an amalgam of recalibrated classics.
Finishing touches: At the top of the catwalk, Watanabe had installed a giant green army tent – even the invitation was in a warm olive green. Military drums and Barry Gray’s score for Thunderbirds spoke of childhood innocence and obsessing over heroes. Military clothes are archetypal – they have a sober pragmatism. Largely un-gendered, unremarkable too, they are the opposite of peacocking. Dries Van Noten uses army fatigues and coveralls as a canvas for jazzy, optic prints from the 1970s; Andrea Rosso – the designer behind MYAR – repurposes surplus garments giving them new life. Watanabe translates these codes into an urban context with a flourish of whimsy. Take the repeat apple print by London-based illustrator Tracey English used on shirting and t-shirts.
Team work: New for S/S 2019 is a collaboration with Ark Air – the RTW arm of Arktis, an English company who have made military uniforms since 1985. Founded by two ex-Royal Marines, the Devon-based factory provides camouflage garments and military-grade smocks superior to standard-issue uniforms. Vests, field jackets and shorts in pinstripe and classic windowpane check become a new technical suit. Classic stripe shirts are treated like sports jackets. Pieces made with Levi’s, Heinrich Dinkelacker, New Balance and Trickers also appear, as do authentic sailor hats made in French Brittany by Béton Ciré.§
Junya Watanabe Man S/S 2019. Courtesy of Comme des Garçons
Junya Watanabe Man S/S 2019. Courtesy of Comme des Garçons
Junya Watanabe Man S/S 2019. Courtesy of Comme des Garçons
Junya Watanabe Man S/S 2019. Courtesy of Comme des Garçons
-
‘Concrete Dreams’: rethinking Newcastle’s brutalist pastA new project and exhibition at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle revisits the radical urban ideas that changed Tyneside in the 1960s and 1970s
-
Mexican designers show their metal at Gallery Collectional, Dubai‘Unearthing’ at Dubai’s Gallery Collectional sees Ewe Studio designers Manu Bañó and Héctor Esrawe celebrate Mexican craftsmanship with contemporary forms
-
At The Manner, New York has a highly fashionable new living roomThe Manner, a new hopsitality experience by Standard International in the heart of SoHo, triples up as a hotel, private residence, and members’ club
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Sacai A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Alexander McQueen A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s
