Satoshi Kondo turned to traditional craft techniques for this imaginative — and rich — collection of undulating organic shapes and blurred color on loose and flowing silhouettes.
The theme was under-the-sea, and models in the show film swayed like tendrils of seaweed in their sculptural knits, or danced on their tiptoes in dresses formed from big, ridged circles of fabric that could be folded back together into a compact stack.
Kondo and his team are clearly ambitious and were busy these past few months, tapping into traditional Japanese techniques for the colors and fabrics.
They used the hikizome hand-dyeing technique, done by craftspeople in Kyoto, to draw patterns onto damp fabric, working blurred browns and greens into long fluttery skirts and tank tops, a one-shoulder dress and wide, fluid trousers.
Another printing technique known as naki allowed a bolder set of colors to seep into each other, forming giant roses on laid-back trouser suits or abstract arc shapes on a halter top, or a suit that could double as pajamas.
The stars of this show were undoubtedly the 3D knits and dresses which gently — but dramatically — sculpted themselves around models’ bodies.
Knitwear was done in spiral shape from two colors of recycled polyester yarn. The knits came as tops and trousers, and rippled around the body like waves, with one pleated top curving into a wide peplum at the front — and back.
The highlight of the film, by the award-winning Japanese video director Yuichi Kodama, was the moment when models crossed a dark room and picked up what looked, at first, like hula hoops on the floor, but instead were stacked circles of fabric.
When the models picked them up, the fabric circles popped in all directions and enveloped them in a sweet embrace. It was fun to watch, with no 3D glasses necessary.
