Last season, Hanako Maeda was directly inspired by grunge and punk music for her thematic, darkly romantic Adeam and Adeam Ichi collections. Following the show, she designed a sharp bespoke tuxedo featuring an Obi belt for Harry Shum Jr. to wear on the Oscars red carpet.
“Because the February show was focused on a concept, and then the custom opportunity with Harry was also very thematic and was more about incorporating his multicultural background, for this resort collection, I really wanted to focus on the technicality of the clothing,” Maeda told WWD. “I really wanted to kind of go back to — not to square one — but to what Adeam truly stands for.”
For the resort season, this meant stripping back conceptual narratives and offering building blocks of the Adeam woman’s daily wardrobe, with emphasis on the garments’ convertibility and versatility.
“Pieces like cotton shirting, trench coats, suiting and knitwear — all of these styles that have really become signatures in the Adeam woman’s wardrobe,” she said of the collection, which was rendered in a timeless palette of soft neutrals with pops of red, indigo blue and olive green.
Although straightforward and easily wearable, Maeda’s resort essentials offered intrigue through their convertible details. For instance, her seasonal three-in-one trench coat, made up of an elongated vest and long sleeve, cropped jacket — the look could be worn as a traditional trench, as a cropped jacket, or a sleeveless dress. The same playful sensibility also worked well in the form of myriad button-off knits (ranging from 100 percent angel hair cotton sets to a three-piece red frock), button-front trousers and shirt dresses with adjustable sleeves.
The idea of matching sets was also prominent throughout the collection, spanning from suiting with utility pockets and sportif bomber jackets with pants to easy feminine sets (which looked especially great in black-and-white gingham).
“Pieces like these have really become Adeam signatures; this idea of convertibility and functionality is also something that’s very unique to Japanese culture. Japanese design is really about functionality — how do you create something that’s visually intriguing, but then is also very functional. I think it’s something that exists inherently in Japanese design aesthetics, and is also something that feels very relevant in modern times,” she said.
