Tag Archives: japanese

kith nobu

Kith x Nobu Release 17-Piece Collection

After recently releasing a line of unisex skincare with Malin + Goetz, Kith is launching a collection with the Japanese restaurant group Nobu. The line made its world debut earlier this month during New York Fashion Week, and on Monday the pieces finally land in stores.

 

The 17-piece collection channels Nobu’s renowned international flair with the New York label’s distinctive urban sensibility. Streetwear staples, including bomber jackets, hoodies, and drawstring joggers, have been modified to reflect both brand’s perspective. A black coach jacket is made from a quilted material and stamped with patches of the Japanese and American flags, a nod to the innovative cultural fusion that brought Nobu to prominence back in the ’90s. This theme is revisited with a zipper shirt covered with an all-over koi print — a Sakura cherry blossom version is also available. There’s also the most straightforward number, which is a simple black hoodie that features both brand’s logos front and center.

 

The Kith x Nobu collection will be available at Kith stores and online on September 30.

 

 

 

off-white-undercover

Off-White x Undercover Capsule To Launch This Weekend

A marriage of contemporary fashion masterminds, Off-White has announced the release of an upcoming collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand Undercover. A collection of men’s staples — including but not limited to t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, denim pieces — has melded Off-White’s distinct iconography with the graphic XX of Undercover.

 

Highlights include a series of graphic t-shirts featuring skeleton illustrations — the designers have named this motif “dark matter.” In addition to various skeletal imagery, the collaboration is stamped with a working name, UNDEROFFWHITECOVERS, as an unofficial marking of the fusion of brand designers Virgil Abloh and Jun Takahashi. For those into a more subtle statement, a range of black fanny packs are branded with both designer names for a quiet yet fairly obvious flex.

 

The Off-White x Undercover collection will be available in select Off-White and Undercover stores worldwide and online on September 14.

Carol Lim Humberto Leon kenzo

Humberto Leon and Carol Lim are Leaving Kenzo

Another day, another major designer shakeup. After an 8-year stint that expanded Kenzo‘s graphic novelty to new heights, creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim are leaving the brand.

 

“We are thankful to our wonderful Kenzo team and the LVMH group for the opportunity to take forward [founder Kenzo] Takada’s groundbreaking legacy,” the pair said in a statement. “We are excited to bring so many rich experiences and memories from our time at Kenzo to new frontiers.”

 

The duo will present their final collection for the Japanese/French label on June 23 for Spring 2020 before stepping down officially so they can focus on their other project, which is basically running the global cult retail sensation Opening Ceremony. Their predecessors have not been announced yet, but the next figure appointed should be well versed in color and yield a taste for playful graphics. Someone like Henry Holland could do great things at the helm of such an iconic label, but only time will tell.

 

 

n hoolywood spring 2020

N. Hoolywood Spring ’20 is Not Punk

At a theatre in the Borough of Manhattan Community College — where I later learned Cardi B attended — models marched to the center of a dark stage in a military-like fashion to showcase the latest output from Japanese/American designer N. Hoolywood. The collection was a hybrid of deconstructed tailoring, tartan prints, colorful pill graphics, and a general anti-establishment aloofness — that is to say, punk as hell. But that’s not what designer Daisuke Obana had in mind.

 

“He didn’t really focus on punk this time,” Obana says backstage, through his unofficial translator and New York correspondent for the label Yasyuo Hibino. “So this is the expression from English culture — he thinks the suiting is very classic and traditional, but other things aren’t as well made. It’s just a summary of what England is to him — it’s not political.

 

Obana was inspired by a recent trip to London — his first in 18 years — when he rediscovered the city “like a tourist.” He went to World’s End, which was originally the SEX boutique founded by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren that was the premier hotbed for punk fashion in the ’70s. He went down Savile Row, the tailoring epicenter of maybe the world. All these British influences were clearly incorporated into the collection, but the designer’s own street-savvy edge kept it from ever appearing gimmicky.

 

There’s also a sustainable aspect embedded in the collection. And since fashion is among the most polluting industries, more designers are announcing sustainable initiatives as the threats of climate change increase and accelerate at an alarming rate. “Large corporations have so much leftover, they have to sometimes burn [excess] because people have to buy new collections,” he says, before explaining that the size of his label prevents this from ever being an issue. “Each season, [our team] really estimates how much they need to produce and there is not really any leftovers. To make samples, they used archive [material], or leftover fabric from previous seasons — they reuse everything to make new collections. So sustainability is quite normal in that sense. It’s not a large [statement], but practical.”

 

There’s an obvious parallel between designing new pieces using discarded pieces or archived materials and punk DIY culture. The whole thing is very ‘Rip it up and start again.’ But there was a demeanor in the presentation and the collection that transcended it beyond any one particular influence, once again demonstrating the label’s strength in combining the classic with the cutting-edge.

 

Images: Courtesy of N. Hoolywood/Satoshi Motoda.

feature

Kenzo’s SS19 Sunglasses Collection Launches at Opening Ceremony

Designed in collaboration with Thélios, the LVMH-owned eyewear maker, Kenzo has released its SS19 eyewear collection at Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles. The fantastic retro assortment of sunglasses mixes the French/Japanese designer’s contemporary city edge with a mellow California vibe, perfect for riding around town or heading to the beach. The combination of vintage cues with futurism is surprisingly effective and gives you an idea of what the Beach Boys would wear if they ever were to pilot a spaceship.

Images: Kenzo.

 

 

MatchaTN

PANATEA 2.0 Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea Set

MatchaImage: PANATEA.

Aspiring to create a healthier lifestyle, PANATEA updates the ancient Japanese luxury of matcha for the modern day drinker with the new 2.0 Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Set, a sleek update of its first edition bundle. A vibrant green 100% pure tealeaf product that enhances antioxidant activity, the fine powder supports metabolism and promotes energy and alertness. Just a few sips give you the full nutritional benefits of approximately ten glasses of tea. Think of it as the healthy espresso of green tea and an alternative to coffee—perfect for those embracing the Health Goth trend in full Rick Owens gear at the gym.

The  2.0 Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Set is available online now.

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Launched Today: First Ever Collection of Jack Spade Watches

Jack Spade Watches Launch Release Price Retail Buy Sale mens japanese swiss luxury

Remember back in January when we told you about Jack Spade’s inaugural timepiece collection for Spring?  Just nod along with us: Yes!  Of course you do.  So, consider this the most gentle of reminders—we’re barely nudging you—when we tell you that the collection hits stores and online today.  The collection, practically showboating with thirty-seven distinct pieces, is comprised of five categories: sport, dress, pillow tank, dual time zone, and an irreverent graphic series that nods to the brand’s satirical undertone.  The more refined watch categories showcase Swiss movements and sapphire crystal, and are priced from $298 to $528.  The graphic watches are priced at a cool $98, feature Japanese quartz movement and boast unpretentiously that they contain “no jewels” are “not Swiss” made.  The collection is available today, as in right now, as in go buy them, and can be purchased in the brand’s US stores, Nordstrom, Barney’s New York, and thankfully, jackspade.com.

Related: Soon You’ll Be Wearing Jack Spade Watches