こんなにファンタジーなものを着るのは久しぶり。
SNSの時代になってしばらく経ち、生活の一部になり、自己表現やビジネスツールとして立派に確立されるようになった今すごく感じることがある。「制約の多い大きな企業よりもむしろ、自由な個人の方が影響力があったり、注目度が高かったりする」ということ。
ファッションも、いろいろな大人の事情の中で作った”プロダクト”より、若い感覚で自由に、パワフルに作り上げた学生の”クリエーション”の方が、何倍も心を動かされることが多くある。彼らが毎日の生活で感じていること、思い入れ、刺激を受けたこと…”自分”の全てでぶつかって取り組んだ作品のスピリットをぜひ感じてほしい。
こちらの作品はみんな、先月行われた全国文化ファッションコンテストのファイナリストより。私が審査員を務めさせているが、ランウェイだけで見るのが勿体無い！と思い、自分も着用してみました。
It’s been a long time since I put on a piece of fantasy.
After entering the era of the “Social Media” craze/haze/daze, things have changed not only for me but everyone who uses it and looks at it. What once was merely a tool for self-expression has become a business machine unto itself, and determining what is real and what’s genuine is as clear as sludge. There’s one thing for sure; that more than in corporations with rules upon rules on what someone can do, personal expression and freedom is what truly grabs attention.
Fashion also has become a product of its own demise, a fault of the “adults” who have their own reasons for doing what they can to keep whatever going because it’s comfortable that way But there are still some people, and especially the youth, who see fashion as more than a product, but as something with transformative power. And what’s interesting about young people’s collections is that they’re usually a direct response to what is going on in the world, but without the marketing jingo and heaps of trend forecasting books stacked behind them.
Perhaps it had just been too long since I wore something truly unique, but I surely felt that spirit in the clothing here, all courtesy of some creative and talented up-comers. These three pieces are from the finalists of the national Bunka Fashion Contest last month where I was judging. I just couldn’t let the storage rooms and boxes swallow them up without taking them out for a spin.
「ADDICTION ~TATTOO~」ヒランパニッチ スパウィー 2016文化ファッションコンテスト デザイン大賞
“addiction＝中毒。「一度始めたらやめられない」自傷行為のように次々と新しいものを彫りたい衝動にかられる人間の心理や、思いつきや衝動でタトゥーをどんどん増やしているようでもきちんとおさまっている様にアートを感じ、それをインスピレーションに作成。”
なんと、これはオールレザーの作品。NUDEやCAN’T HELP MYSELF(我慢できない)、EMPTY(空っぽ)などのハンドステッチが病的なまでにtattooにハマった様をおもわせる。Theアートファッションな一着にぴったりな、ちょっとバランスのおかしなMasaki Matsuhima の黒いシューズをスタイリング。
“I felt art in the psychology of human beings who can be struck by the urge to engrave new things one by one like self-injury or religious tattoos and the like. In addition, I was inspired by where I looked at body art as a whole thing.”
This look is actually made entirely of leather, so you can say it’s a “heavy” piece in more ways than one. She carved words like “nude” and “can’t help myself” to harken to the feeling of addiction, especially when it comes to decorating the body with tattoos. I styled this look with some oversized Masaki Matsuhima shoes to complete the look.
「My Roots」杉本真子 2016文化ファッションコンテスト 佳作
テレビも冷蔵庫もない少女時代を過ごしたデザイナーが、大都会新宿の文化服装学院で生活するなかで振り返る自分のルーツ”自給自足の生活”を投影させたデザイン。絵を描いたり、大自然の中で遊んだり、壮大で繊細な地球の美しさを素材や丁寧な刺繍などのディテールで表現。ファイナリストの中で、いちばん、女性が”着たい”と思うようなデザインだと思ったし、実際着用してみるとファーや細かい刺繍、スカートのシルエット、どこから見てもすごく素敵だった！
This piece by Mako Sugimoto was so beautifully detailed through and through. There was a bit of western folklore as well as touches of Asian design, and it came with so many layers that I didn’t have the time to find looks for them all. Out of all of the finalists at the fashion contest, this was perhaps the one that most girls would probably love to put on. And yes, wearing it out was the best way to see how lovely every little detail from the fabrics to the silhouette came together.
And with this, I truly feel powered up for the week…