Shinpei Yamagishi grew up in a small seaside village longing for Tokyo. “Every day, I searched for something that was not in this town,” he wrote via email. “Of course, I now love my hometown that has only the sea.” The designer returned there, imaginatively, for a fall collection inspired by his own childhood and boyhood in general. The variety of garments in the show is explained by this childlike way of looking at fashion.
Yamagishi played with stereotypes and symbols throughout. There were cowboy boots, sporty windbreakers, and punky leather motos, and he made the necktie one with its collar on soft shirts, cutting it long like the sash generally seen on a women’s blouse. The peace and love theme wasn’t based on retro pictures on a mood board but more personal. “It was my own style in daily life that made me feel the hippie element,” the designer said. “I sought for a hero image that a boy longed for; my heroes seem to be a lot of musicians.”
Hitting a high note were a series of shaggy cotton coats that looked like tie-dyed fur but were woven jacquards. These closed with peace sign-shaped buttons (a motif that also appeared on intarsia sweaters), which had an unexpected poignancy in light of current world events. “Painful events such as COVID-19 and war make me want to close my eyes,” noted Yamagishi, “however, I am surrounded by friends and family who can talk with me about the problem and the future. There are discoveries every day, and small hints and various things are hidden.” This presentation was set up to reveal some of the less seen sides of fashion, with the guests able to see the models in hair and makeup, which also made clear that a collection and a show are communal activities.
BED j.w. FORD is a brand that doesn’t use a logo to bring attention to itself. In its place Yamagishi uses hanging flower corsages, made of discarded fabrics, that gently swing from garments as the wearer moves. They fit right in with the “flower power” vibes of this collection, which metaphorically formed a daisy chain connecting the designer’s past to the present. “I am rooted but I flow,” is the apt title Yamagishi selected for this on point and poignant show.
