By Jesse Scott
Anrealage is always one of the most anticipated shows on the Paris Fashion Week calendar. Kunihiko Morinaga’s visionary futurist aesthetic and relentless drive to push the frontiers of technological innovation unfailingly results in collections that entertain and enlighten us while provoking unexpected conversations. This season was no different, as Morinaga embarked on a nuanced exploration of the relationship between art, fashion, and technology while also supporting an important social cause. Morinaga partnered with HERALBONY, a Japanese-based company which empowers artists with intellectual disabilities, and which recently expanded its operations to Europe. The result was a diverse, yet succinct 30-look collection produced in collaboration with 18 different artists. The patterns, printed sustainably due to a partnership with KYOCERA and FOREARTH offered what the brand described as “intimate impressions of deeply personal inner worlds,” pulsing with vibrant color and elaborate form.
'Beating Heart' Represents Artists’ Passion
Given the great passion that both Morinaga and the Anrealage team and the HERALBONY artists put into their work, it was only fitting that a major theme of the collection was the beating heart. The collection celebrated vulnerability and inclusivity, with each pattern sharing a powerful glimpse into its artist’s soul. Just as the artistic designs brought internal processes to the interior, so did the garments themselves. The first dresses to appear on the runway pulsed like human hearts, colorful patterns on voluminous fabrics undulating as if buffeted by waves underwater (Looks 1, 2). Skirts, capes, and jackets also seemed to take on a life of their own, vibrating with a soothing energy, like a purring cat, as they moved down the runway. Cats were a recurring theme throughout the collection, explicitly referenced by handbags with metronomic tails that were designed in partnership with Yukai Engineering Inc. and inspired by the beloved cult robotics product Qoobo, advertised as the “cushion with a tail that heals your heart.”
Prep: The Fun and Futuristic Way
Morinaga generally eschews existing aesthetics to create his own editorial universes. Thus, it was particularly delightful and surprising to see him re-interpret prep the Anrealage way this season. A voluminous khaki skirt and trompe d’oeil leather gloves were paired with a crested “rowing blazer” that should prove one of the season’s most successful pieces (Look 4). A madras jacket added a playful pop to a collared shirt and a uniquely Morinaga take on flowing wide-legged pants (Look 7). Tartans, ties, and Mondrian-style color blocking were omnipresent. And the paradoxical silhouettes of bustle dresses and polos were combined on a look that was both nostalgic and futuristic (Look 16). Throughout the collection, the bold patterns, and pastel colors (Look 30) conversed with the distinctive type of prep popularized at elite colleges and boarding schools in New England and the Southern US; look for the brand’s profile to grow in the American market this season.
An exclusive guest list including stylist Olaf Hernandez and models Yvesmark Cherry, Rose Doll, and Gala Martinez arrived at Anrealage expecting an innovative spectacle with a message. They left having witnessed Morinaga launch his most well-rounded collection yet, as social causes, groundbreaking technology, and swoon worthy silhouettes danced together in a cornucopia of color that had something to please both the most pragmatic and editorial of sensibilities.
