Mihara Yasuhiro played with notions of authenticity and imitation, overturning thrift-store tropes.
Tired of the constant noise, Mihara Yasuhiro’s fall collection was a commentary on authenticity and imitation in which he played with distressed thrift-store tropes and inventively turned them on their heads.
In a former furniture store just down the street from the Arc de Triomphe, disguised as one of a troupe of waiters serving tea, the designer observed his guests arriving to be seated at bistro tables around the escalator shaft of the empty space.
As on many runways this week in Paris, the puffer jacket was his core medium — and these were some great iterations of the streetwear staple. Satin with a blurry sprayed-on dye effect, intentionally faded vegan leather, crushed velvet tailoring, distressed knits and blue striped shirting fabric all got their dose of padding, to voluminous effect.
Shapes were overturned — the designs were either super-loose, with integrated capes or hanging back off the shoulders and giving the wearer an intentional louche stoop, or rounded and cropped, accentuating the shoulder blades. Along the same lines, padded hems crossed the back of a denim jacket and ran down the sleeves, exaggerating the silhouette.
There was a strong sense of creative wit involved in Yasuhiro’s discourse. On certain jackets, the words “Sublime meets ridiculous” imitated the shape of a certain well-known outerwear brand’s logo. In collaboration with designer Kota Okuda, a knit dress and a T-shirt cum cape were emblazoned with giant dollar bills.
Pants were worn baggy and jackets given frayed satin edging imitating the lining inside flea market finds that have seen better days. This effect was taken even further on the back of a wrap-over trench, with the satin splayed out like wings across the back.
Mihara Yasuhiro may have tired of the never-ending noise of information overload, but his soundtrack, with Lithuanian drummer Marijus Aleksa performing solo, imposed its percussive rhythm, as did the collection.
Autumn / Winter 2023-2024 collection will be presented on Friday, January 20, 13:30CET. Watch the full video of the show on following accounts on Saturday, January 21. @miharayasuhiro_official YouTube Channel
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