Japanese Designers Shine at Paris Fashion Week 2019

At Paris Fashion Week 2019, a new generation of Japanese designers presented their collections, moving beyond the historical trio of Kawakubo, Yamamoto, and Miyake. Designers like Chitoso Abe, Mihara Yasuhiro, Junya Watanabe, Jun Takahashi, and Takahiromiyashita remain largely unknown to the Western public but are highly regarded among connoisseurs. Jun Takahashi's Undercover collection featured black and smoke-gray outerwear with Nosferatu silhouettes and Cindy Sherman prints, moving away from streetwear into tailored jackets and coats with permanent prints or eco-leather panels. Chitoso Abe's Sacai collection blurred gender lines with athleisure details, animal prints, lace, patchwork, and paillettes, layering volumes in an elegant yet complex manner. The collections were presented during the men's SS 2010 shows, though Abe's collection was notably not strictly masculine.