Vancouver Fashion Week Day Three Fall Winter 2022 - The Future of Fashion
Vancouver Fashion Week Day Three - Fall Winter 2022
The Future of Fashion
The beauty of you is how you wear what you are - Timothy Egart
Walking into Vancouver Fashion Week at the David Lam Cultural Center for the Fall Winter 2022 show on a brisk yet bright Saturday evening, I was excited to see which International designers would steal the show.
The main themes of social responsibility and rainwear (how fitting) dominated the collections. I attended the Saturday night show, which was dominated by Japanese designers.
My friend Simrin and I were greeted outside by Jerry Lum, an up-and-coming Vancouver photographer, who graciously taught us the intricacies of how to take professional photos with runway lighting on my Canon Rebel.
I was excited to be seated in the front row and had the perfect view to fully experience the exceptional collections while being seated next to well-dressed reality stars such as Owen Pierson.
After taking pattern making classes at the Cut Academy, I have garnered a further appreciation of not only fashion design but the technical requirements that go into each garment that most people tend to forget. Big thanks as well to VFW and Redken for the hair goodies!
Designers of the Night
TOOT
Who knew men’s underwear could be fun?
The show started out with Toot, a men’s underwear line, created by a design team from Tokyo, Japan. From my limited knowledge of the male underwear industry, my main takeaways were the bright colours and unusual exciting patterns. The designs were very much opposite of the clean brisk white and black men’s underwear ads you would see from Calvin Klein or Emporio Armani.
The line is a whimsical take on the traditionally boring male undergarment industry that imparts the unexpected image of the traditional Japanese businessman attired in the typical business suit with loud unorthodox undergarments underneath - now that’s a dichotomy!
Ay Lelum
https://www.aylelum.com @aylelum
Bold and beautiful ready to wear
Ay Lelum is a Coast Salish design house from Nanaimo, British Columbia. The design house is run by two sisters who produce exquisite clothing using non-ceremonial family designs. The brand acknowledges their designs as wearable art and they really are just that. The refreshing bright colours merged with loud prints were beautifully eye-catching. Each piece made a statement with the patterns and colours chosen yet the clean and simple lines of the garments allowed for perfect harmony.
The ready to wear line includes matching ponchos, cardigans, dresses, skirts, shirts, vests and rainwear. I was particularly taken with the bright red and turquoise blue pieces which stood out with their uniqueness. If you want to stand out and add unique items to your wardrobe, I would suggest checking them out. They also offer couture for special occasions and their care for environmental sustainability is an added bonus.
Isxnot
https://isxnot.thebase.in @isxnot
What would humans wear in 2080?
This space age, anime and rain inspired Japanese collection had models sporting loose fitting clothing such as rain coats, long hospital garb like chemises, and layered empire line dresses - all adorned with hardware. The colours were mostly muted with blues and blacks adding to the collection's dreamy appearance; however, the genius was in the exciting footwear.
The footwear included rectangular transparent blue platforms under shoes and large chunky cloud like sneakers. The shoes reminded me of Balenciaga and their outlandish footwear (think Balenciaga’s croc high heels and sneakers). The shoe’s platforms almost gave the impression of the models walking on water. Adding to the space age mood, models also carried transparent accessories such as umbrellas and transparent hardware bags. As we have seen in 2022, with the likes of Alexander McQueen and Paco Rabone among others, clear accessories are coming back.
Designers are likely turning to the inspiration of our unknown future to create due to the science fiction reality of working through a global pandemic.
UNSERTEN
https://www.unserten.com @unsertenofficial
Sorry, am I at New York Fashion Week?
UNSERTEN is a Tokyo-based, avant-garde elegant menswear and unisex fashion brand founded in 2020 by a group of international designers. The brand is based on the theme of uncertainty and how the world in which we currently live, nothing is certain - as the world around us is ever changing. However, instead of the usual negative connotation surrounding the word “uncertain”, the brand transforms it into “unserten” where new possibilities come to fruition making the world a more welcoming place.
A mark of a good collection is a collection with a cohesive story, yet one that surprises us by taking us on an unexpected journey.
This collection certainly stole the show exuding a luxurious cohesive aspect and a high level of detail seen in luxury brands. Each outfit had its own unique story and made me imagine what the Peaky Blinders would wear in 2050. The collection contained tailored pieces, adorned with hardware, as well as 70s-corduroy-inspired suits, beautifully curated furry coats, blouses and chemises in understated patterns, latex and for the most part neutral tones. What struck me about this collection was the unique tailored patterns, the cohesiveness of each outfit, and the overall feeling of awe a well-done collection inspires. The brand image is clear, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for UNSERTEN.
Nargiz Salwa
https://www.notjustalabel.com/nargiz-salwa
Womenswear for the futuristic, free spirited, chic
The designer, Nargiz Salwa, born in Siberia and based in Poland, is driven by unconventional solutions, which is exemplified in her latest collection. Her unconventional use of a range of textured fabrics from taffeta and cotton to bungee cords and parachute ortalion leaves a futuristic finish to each piece. The collection’s colour mix of blue turquoise, grey, purple and pink pastels with the variety of fabrics makes for an exciting choice. It is not every day you see a turquoise pastel blue latex looking tailored rain jacket - it is a showstopper. Salwa furthers her original narrative with loud exciting coloured earrings, large beaded jewelry, and knitted gloves. In all, the collection as a whole exudes dichotomy with light, almost calming, pastel colours and sometimes severe clean cut pieces which allows for an elegant finish.
With such a high level of design and craftsmanship at the FW 2022 show, I can’t wait to see what Vancouver Fashion Week SS 2023 has in store.