JIAN YE is Back For FW23, This Time an Homage to Japanese Hunters
If you've been following us for a minute, you'll know how big fans we are of Japanese brand JIAN YE.
The Japanese-Chinese designer SUGENO brings out some of the craziest collections we've seen in recent years. And he doesn't stop surprising us with his seasonal themes, with his first season being based around GTA San Andreas character Wu Zi Mu, then horseshoe crabs, then pigs, then lightning. This time? Japanese hunters from over 1,000 years ago.
The FW23 collection, titled "Matagi", takes inspiration from the culture of the same name, Japanese hunters who would use unique words and hunting techniques who would hunt bears in the mountains. "What would clothes for Matagi hunters today look like?" was the main question the designer asked himself when designing. The collection is split into the "HUNTER" [Matagi] side and "RUNNER" [bears] side, with items in the HUNTER side featuring hunting & functional details, and items in the RUNNER side featuring movable and techy nylon fabrics.
On the HUNTER side, the Hunting Jacket features a hood with one closed eye-slot, referring to how Matagi hunters would close one eye when aiming their guns. The Hunting Pants feature a bag attached with reflective piping, so the hunters could see each other & not shoot them. Small details like shoulder patches for added durability when carrying bags are also thrown in as well.
On the RUNNER side, the Runner Jacket features a moon-shaped fabric on the chest like Japanese black bears, as well as detachable sleeves that take inspiration from "Kebokai", a Matagi dissection ceremony. The Cell Pants feature drawstrings to stop bleeding, allowing for easy changing of silhouettes. The brown fabrics take inspiration from the fur coats of bears.
They even casted an old woman, to represent the succession of tradition.
Photo: @_tanase
Styling: @kntkfm
Hair: @hayatemaeda
Models: @newsweetspot @tamapiyo_chang @rtr_hys @ryuheichishima @洋子
Direction: @n00bcyb0t
