We talk about collaborative practice between brands in fashion—A x B = new!—as if this in itself is a fresh phenomenon. But creatively unmaking then rebuilding existing designs by other brands, before then inserting them in his own collections, has been a central part of Junya Watanabe’s menswear monozukuri for over 20 years now. As if to remind us of that, this morning Watanabe presented a collection packed full of collab designs both new and from his archive. This was probably the most brand-populated single show that menswear has ever seen—there were a total of 18 other labels on view—and if all the pieces go into production this will be a grail-heavy season for Watanabe-heads (just as long as they want them in black).
The list included Oakley, New Balance, Timberland, and Stepney Workers Club for shoes. Levi’s, North Face, and Carhartt, long-standing clothing compadres, were joined by Brooks Brothers (for a customized blazer and shirt), Bates (motorcycle jacket-blazer), Mystery Ranch (a supercool technical jacket with the brand’s ultralight portage built in), Haglofs, collab-ologists Palace, Karrimor, Nanga, Alpha Industries, and Champion. A note sent out afterwards said that the starting point for this collaboration of collaborations was the work of Berlin-based Innerraum, a brand working to incorporate the found aesthetic of futuristic protective gear into a luxury context.
So this show was a choir of many voices, but with one very distinct choirmaster. It was impressive how Watanambe corralled so many different voices into a lineup whose progression was logical and language consistent. It started with double-cuffed suiting featuring gently articulated knee and shoulder sections, then vaguely punkish zipped pants. As caps or harnesses the models wore Innerraum inspired exo-skeletal accessories that gradually became more elaborately melded with model and outfit: eventually we got a full ski-style back support. This was appropriate, because after the suiting Watanabe broadened his range into oversized work/streetwear silhouettes that were reminiscent of snowboarding gear, before inhaling again into finely-drawn and less enveloping shapes.
That the collection was near-universally black helped his cause, but nonetheless the manner in which Watanabe imposed coherence in an offering so packed with other aesthetic voices was impressive. At the very last we saw a high-collared panel-patched jacket in a polite charcoal check. Unlike the double-cuffed opening series, this piece’s sleeves were turned up to reveal the tiniest tantalizing flash of pink and blue lining. That flash seemed to semaphore that while a multicolor edition of such a multi-collab outing might have proved overwhelming, Watanabe would have—and maybe even next season will be—remaining in control of his monozukuri.
