Stepping up the trend for fashion houses to show their pre-collections in increasingly exotic locations and with exceptionally extravagant presentations, Dior creative director Raf Simons transported us to the ‘megalopolis’ that is Tokyo for his pre-fall 2015 show.
‘Tokyo is a place that has been and is so constantly inspiring to me,’ he explained. ‘Particularly in terms of the liberty people take for themselves in how they dress, there is nowhere else like it; the freedom of styles, the new architecture of clothing that you can see forming in the street as well as in city’s fashion design history... it’s a place that is both extreme and exhilarating.’
On his intergalactic runway, Simons’ focus was a futuristic fusion of East meets West, where fantasy and reality co-existed. English woollen plaids and Fair Isle knits juxtaposed kawaii-inspired micro Miss Dior bags and eclectic layering that referenced Tokyo's street style as much as its forward-thinking architecture. A study in contrasts, day met evening, high shine, matt surfaces; defining Simons new ‘utilitarian glamour’. His opening look, a neon yellow collared, camel-coloured, laminated coat concealed a glittering sequin skivvy as a case in point.
Dior took over the sprawling city’s iconic sumo stadium creating an abstracted urban landscape that was touched by falling snowflakes throughout the show – highlighting the collection’s outerwear oeuvre. Fusing fantasy with sci-fi, the soundscape mixed tunes from Blade Runner and Interstellar’s soundtracks – referencing Simons’ initial other-worldly impressions of Tokyo, which he first visited in the mid 1990s. Produced by Bureau Betak, the set’s arena-style construction alone took four days of non-stop tooling to bring the designer’s glittering Tokyo megalopolis to life.
On his intergalactic runway, Simons’ focus was a futuristic fusion of East meets West, where fantasy and reality co-exist
Production company Bureau Betak created a Tokyo-inspired, abstracted urban landscape that was touched by falling snowflakes throughout the show
Eclectic layering referenced Tokyo's street style as much as its forward-thinking architecture
English wools and Fair Isle knits were juxtaposed with kawaii-inspired micro Miss Dior bags
‘Tokyo is a place that has been and is so constantly inspiring to me,’ said the designer of his choice of location
Contrasting high shine and matt textures defined Simons new ‘utilitarian glamour’
It took four days of non-stop tooling to bring the designer’s Tokyo megalopolis vision to life
The show's other-worldly soundtrack mixed tunes from Blade Runner and Interstellar’s soundtracks
-
Pharrell Williams’ latest Louis Vuitton show celebrates a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend NigoLouis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams looked towards his long friendship with BAPE founder Nigo to create a collaborative A/W 2025 menswear collection shown in Paris this evening (21 January 2025)
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
-
Margot Robbie, Marina Abramović and a 15-step Korean scalp treatment: the most-read Wallpaper* beauty stories of 2024The news of Margot Robbie becoming the face of Chanel No.5 and an illustrated guide to a 15-step Korean scalp treatment are just two of the most-read Wallpaper* beauty stories from the year gone by
-
Unboxing beauty products from 2024, as seen on the pages of Wallpaper*Wallpaper's 2024 beauty picks included Chanel lipstick, Bottega Veneta perfume and solid soap from the likes of Aesop, Celine, Diptyque, Hermès and Sisley
-
These illuminating fashion interviews tell the story of style in 2024Selected by fashion features editor Jack Moss from the pages of Wallpaper*, these interviews tell the stories behind the designers who have shaped 2024 – from Kim Jones to Tory Burch, Willy Chavarria to Martine Rose
-
Giant cats, Madonna wigs, pints of Guinness: seven objects that tell the story of fashion in 2024These objects tell an unconventional story of style in 2024, a year when the ephemera that populated designers’ universes was as intriguing as the collections themselves
-
Loafer bags to sock shoes, 2024 was all about the mashed-up accessoryWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss reflects on the rise of the surreal hybrid accessory in 2024, a trend which reflects the disorientating nature of contemporary living – where nothing is quite what it seems
-
‘It feels like something out of a movie’: Studio I-IN designs the Tokyo office for Japanese haircare brand KinujoStudio I-IN’s design for the head office of Tokyo-based haircare brand Kinujo includes a striking hemispheric desk, a fluted marble wall and porous natural lighting
-
Inside Dior’s ‘Gold House’ in Bangkok, a spectacular celebration of Thai art and craftDaven Wu takes a trip to Bangkok to discover ‘Gold House’, a gilded new concept store from Dior which is rooted in both Parisian savoir-faire and artisanal Thai craft, featuring a café, gardens and showstopping gilded facade
-
Tranquil and secluded, Lemaire’s new Tokyo flagship exudes a sense of homeIn Tokyo’s Ebisu neighbourhood, Lemaire’s tranquil new store sees the French brand take over a former 1960s home. Co-artistic directors Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran tell Wallpaper* more
