If Kunihiko Morinaga had staged a physical show in his usual Tuesday timeslot of PFW, we would not have had the opportunity to see his collection play out against the wide-open backdrop of Mt. Fuji. It’s also unlikely that the 18 colorful geometric structures spaced out across the landscape would have fit inside the typical Paris venue. The fabric stretched across these various polyhedrons was just light enough to reveal a model within each. Then, thanks to Morinaga’s talent for transformation, the models were suddenly on the outside in period-style silhouettes created from the structures themselves. Quite simply, they were wearing tent dresses. Only these were complex, 3D-modeled iterations that assumed oversized but not unwieldy volumes. Over Zoom, the designer explained how the collection’s title, “Home” was less about staying indoors than about feeling shielded and safe. “Home can be worn like a garment and a garment can be a home.”
To that effect, the parachute-like fabric supposedly has the added value of being antiviral. Morinaga worked with Japanese manufacturer Shikibo Ltd., combining antibacterial copper and polyester fibers with their antiviral treated textile, originally developed to protect against influenza. “I wanted to find a way to connect fashion with medical,” he said.
As trench coats, capes, shirt dresses, and gowns accented with ruffles, ruching, and poufs, these looks were clearly a far cry from hospital scrubs. But they were consistent with Morinaga’s perpetual study of construction. “The architecture [of the tent] is very hard and the garment is something soft—these two things are completely different and [I] wanted to find a way to make these things at the same time,” he said, admitting that it was a particularly complex concept. But that didn’t stop him from adding bonus features: The sculptural headpieces were designed by architect Kengo Kuma and can double as lampshades, while the patchwork neon looks glow in the dark.
Designers prove over and over again that difficult times birth visionary ideas, and with this collection, Morinaga seemed determined to address the moment in a purposeful and uplifting way. Whether or not we need our dresses to convert into aesthetically-pleasing, self-contained bubbles, this is what innovative fashion is all about.
