Spotlight on Tokyo with Valentino TKY: an event characterised by two different elements, the Pre Fall 2019 show – the first with men and women’s fashion together on the catwalk – and the exclusive installation in the Ginza Six store, created by Pierpaolo Piccioli with Sarah Andelman.
A dialogue between perfection and imperfection, permanence and caducity, with a very Valentino approach filtered by a dialogue with the Japanese culture
this is how Pierpaolo Piccioli describes the Pre Fall 2019 collection, which brought 70 feminine and 20 masculine looks under the spotlight: a triumph of pleats, lace and ruches, bows, large volumes and curls, all in the name of a strongly couture inspired spirit with an urban streak.
The full and intense red color that has always characterised the maison has been paired with black, dark blue, pink and white, leaving also a space for floral and geometric patterns, especially when it comes to masculine outfits inspired by graffiti or by Jackson Pollock’s art.
Creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, turned the catwalk into a full experience, working closely with Sarah Andelman, former artistic director of the iconic Colette boutique in Paris, who is currently involved in the Just An Idea project, a platform which brings together talents from different sectors.
Based on the concept of Wakon Yosai, which is the union between Japanese spirit and Western knowledge, Piccioli and Andelman gave life to a Koubou, “an atelier where the visitors can experience the quality of shapes and materials from two different points of view, the Italian and the Japanese one, reopening an imaginary silk road and thinking of a “Far East” that turns into a “Far West”.”
This Valentino capsule collection was inspired by the art of Manga, turning the animals that reoccur in the label’s creations – the tiger, the dragon, the panther, the snake – into animated characters.
Art combines with fashion, with the Fusuma-shi, sliding panels by Yuki Murabayashi; the revisitation of the Kazar Kanzashi (ornamental hair clips used for women’s hairstyles) by Takayuki Miura; the Noh masks by Ichiyu Terai; and Urushi Hakose’s virtuoso use of the Urushi lacquer.
Tomizo Saratani’s homemade creations, featuring insects and plants, are also available, as well as a modern reinterpretation of the ancient Origami Muromachi by Satoshi Kamiya and Kyohei Katsuta; Tetsuya Noguchi’s small statues depicting samurais and Izumu Miyazaki’s photographs dedicated to daily life in Japan.
