Satoshi Kondo’s fall collection, richly textured with layers and draping, went back to the fundamental of clothing — a piece of cloth.
But the collection’s starting point was a bit farther afield: art by Wolfgang Laib, who creates installations sifting hazelnut and dandelion pollen he collects by hand.
Kondo came across Laib’s work five years ago at a museum. The pure beauty of the pollen color on the floor made for one of the most memorable exhibitions he had seen, according to the designer. “There’s a power, energy or strength that you find in nature or something that is really essential,” Kondo said.
He aimed to channel that sense of pure joy, inspiration, liveliness and aspiration of Laib’s art into the fashion for fall. “We should keep things simple, like this artist,” said Kondo, explaining that way the clothing becomes timeless and universal. He called this show “What Has Always Been.”
It was a highly refined collection of garments often derived from a piece of cloth winding its way over various garment forms. Those were often imbued with a vivid color palette (think fuchsia, pollen yellow, royal blue and mint green).
It was an exercise of style also using folded and twisted material, as well as asymmetrical forms.
Body-conscious silhouettes included seamless knits shaped in tubular flower shapes using various knitting techniques. Light fabrics of washi and stretch fibers were wound about to drape naturally over models’ bodies.
More voluminous was the washi and wool series coming with copious drapes. A long coat and poncho in felt patterned with wildflower prints boasted shoulders made of a single folded piece of material.
The effect was both whimsical and sober, up until the last few looks, where models were subsumed by layers of pleated, wafting fabric.
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