Because this British contemporary brand is targeting the Japanese market as part of its international expansion efforts, it opted to showcase its fall collection in Tokyo.
Despite the location at an events space a fair distance from the official Tokyo fashion show venue in Shibuya, the presentation was a bustling one, attracting a healthy crowd of local editors. The show featured a mix of professional models and edgy kids scouted from the streets of Tokyo just a few days earlier.
Creative director Wil Beedle cited Seiji Kurata’s flash photography of early Eighties Japan and the rise of the post-punk movement for the fall collection, dubbed “Remote Control.” He was intrigued by Kurata’s ability to capture the “underground, illicit cultural landscape of that culture,” the designer added, as a wall of old-school television sets in the exhibition space flickered with black-and-white video montages of the street kids.
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Aiming to replicate the gleam of metal and skin in Kurata’s photos, Beedle turned out leather jackets for him and her with a “super-fine shine.” A couple of looks featured shearling accents, including a long boxy version that toughened up a long peach-colored dress. They could offer great options for consumers looking to buy into the motorcycle trend-of-the-moment (but who aren’t willing to shell out the bucks for a Saint Laurent number).
Other post-punk and Eighties references included oversize coats, belted to give them shape; chunky knitwear, and military-inspired pieces such as a khaki cargo jacket and shirtdress. Then there were items that drew on Beedle’s observations of Tokyo’s urban landscape. “When I look around the city, I see grids everywhere,” he said, explaining the logic behind mohair coats in bleeding check patterns.
The collection offered up an edgy, yet wearable range of clothing at a competitive price point. Many of AllSaints’ clothes are priced between $100 to $500 — a combination that could easily lure fans of both the London High Street players and the luxury labels.