Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s novel “1Q84,” Ek Thongprasert said he imagined a parallel universe for his fall collection for men and women. In this universe, explorers from Africa colonized the West, rather than vice versa, and traditional African cultural references permeated the fashion world.
The individual pieces — sweatshirts, T-shirt dresses, slim-fitting pants and skirts, and oversize coats — were mostly straightforward basics that the designer elevated with the addition of asymmetric fabric panels and African tribal motifs. Traditional scarification patterns inspired beading on jackets, skirts and dresses, images of African masks were reimagined as 3-D motifs on pullovers and braided cording around collars was a nod to tribal necklaces. In some cases, Thongprasert’s statement-making jewelry, which included necklaces featuring miniature versions of tribal masks crafted from white or colorful polystyrene, upstaged the clothes.