TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist.
Men/women Collections – AW22
Autumn / Winter 2022 collection. THE ERA The America of the 1960’s was the heart of a developing rhythm and sound that would be known as ‘free improvisation’. The sound was alive and colorful, without constraints or burdened by the rules. Music from this important decade was heavily influenced by blues rock, garage rock, and rhythm and blues. In turn, this sound was shaped by a man known as the “Fifth Beatle”, Billy Preston. Considered one of the finest session keyboardists, he would take to the keys and the vibe of the sound, of the room, would change 100%… For the better. These musicians in addition to the crowd of the Harlem Cultural Festival, with their expressive, colorful take on music and fashion culminated as the source of inspiration for the latest collection from TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist., dubbed, “THE ERA”. The collection is a reflection and continued statement of Miyashita’s somber interpretation combined with radical perspectives on today’s world. The first note of the collection starts with this simple yet fundamental question which has been on repeat in Miyashita’s mind; “In which order do we dress ourselves?” In today’s times, “What goes on first? Who says so? What should go on last? Why?” This questioning of the conventions is portrayed through garments that might leave you thinking “the back has become the new front”. Garments become visual statements of what it must have been like to experience a session between The Beatles and Billy Preston: beautifully tailored suits clash with unconventional vests, ruffled shirts, jumpers, puffer vests and 6 pocket jeans. They’re presented predominantly in black and white but when the blasts of vibrant colors kick in, you can’t deny the presence of Billy and co. “The melody is multicolored this season, which transposes a traditional black suit into one of vibrance, of electricity” says Miyashita. Ensuring the new take on ‘the back as the new front’ provides the wearer with the ability to walk or cycle led Miyashita to create unique balloon silhouettes. Careful consideration to the adjustment of length, the front being short and the back being long, created true three-dimensionality to pieces like a MA-1 bomber, B-3 flight jackets, as well as blazers and duffle coats. ‘Punctuation’ alongside ‘function’ is served up via diagonal zippers that start at the shoulder and go across the length of the back. Internal oversized back waist pockets are also notable details throughout the collection. The collection presented in the form of a video, is a continuation of a new presentation method which was last explored for Autumn/Winter 2021. Akin to The Beatles when they stopped playing live choosing to focus on studio recording and editing instead, Miyashita approached the creation of the video and editing in the same vein. The track is Miyashita’s own penmanship featuring his lyrics based on phrases and words kept in his notebook as a way to generate and store ideas for the collection. Increasingly skeptical about the essentialism in today’s fashion, Miyashita states he finds “a certain redundancy meaningful in garments”. THE ERA, presents an exploration of garments created and shaped not just for race, gender and age, but for the psychedelic colors and music within.
