Minimalism is universal, but Japan takes the concept in new directions. Case in point: the latest collection from Kyoto-based label, Rainmaker, whose spartan take on the season didn’t lack for visual interest. Designers Kohichi Watanabe and Ryutaro Kishi kept their lines clean and their color palette restrained, stripping things down further than usual. This time last year, they mixed in checkerboard prints and plaids; no such flourishes were found amid this lineup. Still, for every pattern the pair subtracted, they added a new fabrication or texture, most noticeably a series of plush pieces that encased the body in goose-down puffers. On some looks, the element added a protective vibe. On others, it felt aeronautical; the cloudlike volume of a cocoon-shaped jacket threatened to lift its wearer aloft.
Some pieces soared, but Rainmaker was a grounded affair. Workwear took priority, with a wealth of belted blazers and casual Friday cardigans filling the runway. Suits for men and women were smartly cut and spiced up with additions like chunky hand-knit turtlenecks that felt slightly undone or white shirt hems that peeked out from beneath jackets to create the illusion of ease. Effortlessness is hard to fake, but for the most part, Watanabe and Kishi managed to infuse their creations with a lightness and simplicity that lends itself to creating easy outfits daily. The pristine styling was beautiful, but these pieces will come alive once they’re pulled out of a wardrobe and worn with genuine nonchalance.
