Were you happy with the clothes you wore as a child? When my mom talks about my “crazy” outfits, she’s referring to the days where she allowed me to dress myself, usually ending up with a mishmash of colors and patterns too outrageous for her to take credit for. If only a designer like Caroline Bosmans was around, I could have been outrageous but still not so harmful to all of the cheek-pinching adults’ eyes. You have to see it to believe her incredibly well-done fantastical collections…
みんなは幼い時に着ていた服に満足していた?
Based in Belgium (because of course!) , Bosmans herself is a mother of 4 and studied design at the academy of SASK while working as a therapist in a psychiatric daycare. She noticeably plays with the fluidity of gender, putting boys in soft pieces with lace, and the girls in tougher outdoor or workwear-style pieces. Her themes can be dark but always presented lighthearted, in a child-like sort of innocence. You can imagine the twinkle in her eye and a shrug of her shoulders as if to say, “What? I didn’t know it would be wrong, I’m just a kid.”. Case in point is the “TMMDI” (They Made me do it) collection at the top of this page, inspired by the surreal, heavy-handed film Donnie Darko. “Franzzz” was inspired by Kafka’s play The Metamorphosis. Bosmans injects humor into all of her clothes which are handmade, making sure the funnybone is worn on the sleeve.
そんな日本から、遠く離れたベルギーで、彼女は
ダークな世界をユーモアを交えてキッズウェアに取り入れるのが大
It’s kind of a case of “Why didn’t I think of this first??” I mean, if anyone is going to wear wild, avantgarde clothes, it would probably be kids more than adults (and adults who wear avantgarde fashion could just be said to be kids at heart…*cough*). Actually, I had a project in Tokyo a few years ago to design clothes just like this, and oh how I wish it wouldn’t have fallen through. That said, Bosmans’ wares can be ordered for yourself too (no one will know, I swear). It will be available in Japan from the AW 14 collection at the rad interior/accessories shop you will be shamed for not knowing, Eunoia (in Kamakura).
“なんで今まで考えたことなかっただろう?!”と思う人もいるはず。だって、こういうファニーでちょったしたアヴァンギャルド的な服は大人よりも、遊び心の忘れてない子供の方が向いているでしょうね。(そういう意味でアヴァンギャルドな服を着る大人はもっとも若々しい、と言えるかも 笑)。実はミーシャは数年前にこういうような子供服をデザインするというシークレットプロジェクトに参加したことがあったけれど、結局ダメになり、ブランドはできなかった。今思うと、すっごく残念だったわ!泣 とりあえずこのCaroline Bosmansさんの作品を子供に買いたい人、それとも自分へ買いたい人は間もなく日本でも手に入れることができるそうです!秋冬コレクションから、鎌倉にあるめっちゃハイセンスな雑貨やEunoiaでお取り扱いスタートされる!要チェック〜
-Misha Janette
=Asst. Karen Shimada