Fashion, like the light, is ever-changing. That was Kunihiko Morinaga’s observation for fall, with a collection made entirely from fabrics that changed under ultraviolet light.
He began experimenting with photochromic textiles around 10 years ago, and the technology has changed a lot since, opening up creative opportunities with different textured fabrics like satin, jacquard and macramé, he explained backstage before the show, through an interpreter.
On the stage of a 19th century theater just off the Place de la Madeleine, guests gasped and applauded as his voluminous designs, initially all white, were brought to life by a bar of light passing in front of them, in dramatic contrast with the black backdrop and traditional red velvet drapes surrounding the stage.
A textured textile became a logo jacquard in two candy tones, stripes appeared on T-shirts and an allover lace jumpsuit took on a variety of pastel shades.
Ever the playful designer, the trompe l’oeil effects did not stop there. His voluminous ‘50s-inspired silhouettes, almost like a child’s sketches in their exaggerated proportions, included trenchcoats or suits that were the same front and back — complete with two sets of lapels, shirt collars and neckties, for example. The assumedly naïve style did not hide the fact that the Japanese designer is also a master of pattern-cutting.
Inspired by the notion of “Umwelt,” a German word and philosophy evoking the environment or surroundings, Morinaga played with perception. A bee or an insect does not see color the same way a human does, for instance, he explained. Observed in Paris or Tokyo, or in the sun or under artificial light, the colors would differ according to their environment, he said. It was an eye-catching observation on diversity that will likely remain carved in the memories of his audience for many a moon(light).
