This time, in WIZZARD LINER NOTES VOL.3, I'd like to talk about the theme for this 2021AW season.
(If you've already read the newsletter, please continue from here)
I started thinking about the theme for the 2021 AW season around September of last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 completely changed the way we think about things, our lifestyles, and how we interact with others.
Amidst these changes, what is it that I want to remember and keep in my heart?...
As someone who has been greatly influenced by human interaction and the culture that exists within it, the base for my theme immediately came to mind: Interaction, Music, Fashion! That's precisely it!
And having lived in Tokyo since I was 25, I began to consider motifs that would evoke Tokyo and urbanity within the theme.
Tokyo/Urban = The first images that came to mind were the art collective TOMATO PROJECT, based in London, and the music of UNDERWORLD, whose members also belong to the collective.
I recalled hearing that Karl Hyde, the vocalist of UNDERWORLD, often visits Tokyo when creating albums or new songs, capturing photos of Shibuya's streets and back alleys, and constantly jotting down things that catch his eye, sometimes incorporating them into lyrics. This solidified TOMATO PROJECT and UNDERWORLD as the theme for 21AW within me.
TOMATO PROJECT is an art collective, UNDERWORLD is a music project, and the urban sound they create.
It's perfect~! I was thrilled, all by myself. (laughs)
But there was still one missing element.
Interaction...
Interaction, huh... I haven't been doing much of that lately.
We used to have such lively get-togethers back then~
It came to me while I was conceptualizing the world of the season look.
That's it! That's the one! (laughs)
What was "that"?
The movie "Trainspotting" (which features UNDERWORLD's music on its soundtrack), the film that connected the British subculture scene and UNDERWORLD, came to mind.
I wondered if I could draw a story (interaction) about four sensitive young people in Tokyo, inspired by this movie.
And so, RE for "again" and ACTION for "action"
RE-ACTION became a powerful and progressive theme, titled "Restart."
Digressing from RE-ACTION
Around '99 to '00, when I was still a shop buyer, TOMATO PROJECT had an apparel line called URBAN-RE-ACTION (later URBAN ACTION, then UACT), which we carried in our store.
UNDERWORLD members wore them in their music videos and live performances, and the print graphics were by TOMATO PROJECT.
I loved them so much, they were so much my style, that I bought a ton of them.
Of course, I wore them when UNDERWORLD came to Japan! (laughs)
I recall those fulfilling days, enjoying a great relationship with everyone at URBAN ACTION TOKYO OFFICE.
It was around the time I was thinking, "London culture is the best!"
I still have a few of my favorite items from that time, unable to throw them away, stored at home.
UNDERWORLD's music blends various musical elements, with meticulously calculated layers of sound. The functionality of delicate dance music intertwines with art, creating a performance that maintains an exquisite balance between "listening" and "experiencing."
TOMATO PROJECT and UNDERWORLD are truly formidable!
If you're interested, it might be a good idea to delve into the delicate and artistic musical world of these artists.
The 21AW collection look was shot with the movie "Trainspotting" as its image source.
The original story begins with the usual four people, in their usual spot, after their usual night out.
It follows the episodes of a car carrying their various thoughts as each person returns home.
So, what exactly are these four thinking and feeling?
It might be interesting to let your imagination run wild with these points in mind when looking at this season's look.
Thank you for reading LINER NOTES VOL.3 again!
See you next time in LINER NOTES VOL.4.
Introducing items that strongly reflect the theme
The images are inspired by the creations of TOMATO PROJECT and UNDERWORLD, drawing from their graphics, photographs, music, and other works, to create the L/S PRINT SLIT SHIRTS using original printed fabric.
[TOMATO PROJECT MOTIF MODEL]
A collaboration model with denim brand [OVERDESIGN]. These are denim pants featuring patchwork of original graphic print fabric and other materials, with graphics inspired by TOMATO PROJECT.
The placement and coloring of the patchwork also evoke TOMATO PROJECT's graphics.
VOL.2 https://wizzard.stores.jp/news/61a07134b91b75123e2cd5d2
VOL.1 https://wizzard.stores.jp/news/61b9cd652ee5c27732582351