One way to appraise the strength of a designer’s aesthetic, regardless of how much it appeals to your own taste, is to ask yourself how easy it is to pick out from a crowd. For fashion’s maximalists (think Jeremy Scott or Alessandro Michele) that can be easy, but for more restrained designers it presents a tougher challenge.
This season Fumito Ganryu—who sits squarely in the latter camp—took up that task by making a small, easily-digestible collection that compressed the essence of his eponymous brand into just 15 all-black looks. “I wanted to experiment and test myself by seeing how much I could express with just outlines and silhouettes,” Ganryu said on a video call from Tokyo. The former Comme designer is a terminal minimalist: “I’m aiming to be the kind of designer who can say everything I need to say in just three looks,” he laughed.
Titled Outlines, what the collection lacked in color it made up for in texture: a fuzzy pair of wide-leg fleece sweatpants, a down jacket as smooth as a pebble, and a draped mesh bomber jacket (surprisingly light and soft) were all fun to drink in, but best of all was a hooded coat that had been made from a special kind of waterproof nylon called Konbu. At the slightest touch it crinkled loudly, as though it had been lined with thick sheets of parchment. Terrible for playing hide-and-seek, but great for a rainy day.
More fabric innovation could be seen in the button-up shirts that were made with (subtly stretchy and crease-resistant) Solotex that will no doubt please a minimalist-leaning salaryman somewhere. A super-sleek hoodie, made with gabardine, was sewn in a way that made its hood structured and pointed; the fabric and silhouette gave the casual staple a subtly formal flavor. “I guess I’m greedy,” said Ganryu. “I want things to be everything, casual and easy to wear, but also stylish and put-together.”
Making up part of the collection was the brand’s second collaboration with Puma (the first was a year ago) that included an extra-spiky take on the brand’s Mostro sneaker, a huge 3D-printed shoe, and a few sporty-looking zip-ups. It slotted in nicely with the rest of the collection, which, with its pared back vibe and alien textures, hinted at something vaguely futuristic. This wasn’t a profound new proposition, but instead a collection of useful, wearable clothes that Ganryu’s fans old and new can use to update their daily wardrobes. “For me, something futuristic is also something realistic,” he said.
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