EMBRACE
Mame Kurogouchi unveiled her Spring Summer 2020 collection in Paris
Embraced in this world, we are born. Just as my first memories are green memories, so too are yours.
When silkworms morph into cocoons, they see the world through thin white spherical walls. Details disappear, abstraction begins. When true form is obscured, only the essence remains. A sign of transformation. A new life being embraced.
Mame Kurogouchi’s Spring Summer 2020 collection casts a light on clothes as protection of the body, delving into the history and traditions of Japanese wrapping whilst sensing the thrumming presence of life in the environment that surrounds us. Shimmering fringes trickling down sleeves celebrate the hazy memories of times long past. The full spectrum of greens – more shades than can be counted – is created by hallucinatory sunny days. This season’s PVC bags are covered with a multitude of fringes, like greenery slowly overgrowing architectural structures.
Expressing herself through light-as-air layers, softly cocooning silhouettes, rich fabrics and artisanal finishes to rewrite the code of contemporary beauty, designer Maiko Kurogouchi draws cues from the unwitting nobility of found objects; in moments where the layman neglects to see the high beauty nestled in the cracks of daily life; in the singular beauty of everyday objects ennobled through the art of wrapping – a nod to Hideyuki Oka’s 1972 book on the Japanese art of packing. Translucent jackets and skirts consist of hundreds of hand-cut sheets; each designed uniquely to create a wearable cocoon. Knitwear and dresses come with sheer fabrics panels in a direct homage to Japanese traditional packaging – a wearable version of wagashi confections. Jewellery comes across throughout as precious finishing touches while Mame Kurogouchi’s original sandals wrap feet in summery mesh fabrics in delicate beige and green.
Delivered in a fresh, delicate palette, suggestive shadows and boldly curved silhouettes, Mame Kurogouchi’s Spring Summer 2020 collection expresses the very philosophy behind the traditional art of packaging: “The art of wrapping is to wrap your heart”.
Complementing this collection are impeccably delicate heels – in black, navy suede and white – created in collaboration with Italian heritage house Tod’s. Their elegant silhouette is the result of a shared vision of craftsmanship, the perfect marriage between Italian craftsmanship and Japanese design.