Kidill designer Hiroaki Sueyasu set out to create a feeling of dystopia, and he achieved it. Setting the stage among the stripped cement bones of a disused Apple store underneath the Louvre, the transition between the cheerful tourist traps and the dark space set the striking contrast he wanted to cultivate.
Inside, the Japanese designer played with the idea of the underworld and ghouls, laid out in a deceptively colorful print of grotesque Buddhas used on suits and dresses. The world is topsy-turvy, and things aren’t always exactly what they seem.
He called on other talismans as key concepts, particularly witches this season. Women in pointy hats and holding skulls were screenprinted on tie-dyed tees, patched onto flowing kimonos and referenced in spider-webbed knit cardigans.
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Historically witches were a misunderstood group, Sueyasu said. Notably, some politicians agree with him; recently U.S. state legislators passed a resolution to formally exonerate people convicted of witchcraft in the 17th century. He was reflecting on this time period of persecution and sees parallels with the modern punk aesthetic.
“We may be different, but we have a right to present ourselves,” he said backstage after the show. Nonconformity and rejection are themes he wanted to play with this season, and patchwork details represent how small, marginalized groups must stick together, he added.
Sueyasu toned down the British references he has mined the last few seasons. It was the birthplace of punk, but the Japanese designer moved on and into his own territory with heritage elements such as kimonos. He worked with the century-old Kimono Yamato house for the traditional outerwear pieces, then roughed them up just enough for his liking.
A key item was a satin bowling jacket cleverly interpreted with the flow of a cape that struck the right balance and could appeal to a wider customer.