Every now and then a label pops up, seemingly out of nowhere. You come to find that some cool people you follow on Instagram are wearing it, that it has a store you’ve never been to, and that it shows during Fashion Week. Such is the case of Vowels, a Tokyo-meets-New York project that launched last May with a shop on the Bowery in New York and a time slot during the men’s collections in June. It’s back in Paris this season, with a presentation that promises to more clearly outline exactly what sets it apart.
But before that, open your notebooks for Vowels 101: “It’s like a grown-up Stüssy,” says creative director Yuki Yagi, calling from Tokyo in the lead-up to today’s presentation. “Let’s say once you finish wearing Stüssy, you want to wear something a little bit more mature,” he continues. It’s an accurate description, but an oversimplification.
As an idea, Vowels abides by the Japanese philosophy of Shu Ha Ri (守破離) as its guiding principle. It’s a tale you’ve heard before in fashion in different contexts: One must master the fundamentals of a practice before breaking those rules to create something new. As it pertains to Yagi, who grew up between Japan and New York, and has an extensive resume with stints at leading streetwear labels—which came with their set of iron-clad NDAs—the ethos applies rather straightforwardly.
Yagi’s fashion practice at Vowels is informed by an early career as a wholesale vintage dealer. “I would source and then be selling it in boutiques or mass vintage stores in Japan, and my boss would take me to places like Pakistan, Germany, Netherlands, and the US,” he says. But he also happens to be a deeply studious designer, having accumulated quite the collection of books and catalogues. So much so that he’s opened a Vowels Research Library inside the brand’s New York retail location, complete with scanners and computers. (“We want to do the opposite of gatekeeping,” he says.) Only 350 or so fit inside the store at a time, so part of the 2,000-tomes-and-counting collection will be on display at today’s presentation.
Vowels is a collection of “genderless streetwear essentials,” which means that most of the things you have and are constantly looking for better versions of, Yagi and co. have taken upon themselves to perfect. Think of a bomber jacket rendered as a knit cardigan instead, or a boxy tee cut from a twill-like jersey so it actually looks boxy. There’s also a charming range of hand-knit bucket hats and a run of floral ties and matching shirts for those who dress like grown ups but are not entirely too self-serious. A print abstracted from a painting by Cézanne and rendered in a digital jacquard on a jacket makes for the perfect style to dress up the jeans—so very soft—or dress down the supple suiting. (In addition to the retail space at 76 Bowery, Vowels is available at Ssense, Space Mue in South Korea, Barneys New York in Japan, and more.)
“The key to making global things is to be outside,” Yagi jokes, “but really, the key is to make things that people would actually wear.” How he goes about it, he explains, is by observing what people already wear. “Everyone wears jeans, has a t-shirt, a button-down shirt, etc., it’s really how much you can pivot from there that is the game of fashion for me.” Meaning, how can you make something new without making it too new? Or too fashion forward? “You have to finesse it, because how do you make a pair of jeans better? You really can’t,” he says, “Levi’s made the best shit ever, honestly, but then you can apply quality fabrics or craft products made in Japan.” He continues, leaning in: “Then it’s applying updated features to traditional designs. Levi’s has a ‘type one’ jacket which comes from a Palaka shirt, basically a Hawaiian shirt, then they innovated to a ‘type two’ with more pockets and functionality, then a ‘type 3,’ and then on… there’s a history, and if you know your history I think you can make things better.” (See? Studious.)
Today’s presentation will be a level up from last June’s, which was a tad traditional. “We want to bring in the experience of New York, which is honestly half the brand’s aesthetic, and that store experience into Paris.” Why Paris? “It’s the center of fashion, it’s where people go for fashion, and where you can get the most prestige out of any other city,” Yagi says. It will be a showcase conceptualized around “everyday life,” and also feature live music and snacks curated by friends of the brand. Today the Paris men’s crowd will get treated to a lesson in streetwear deep-cuts and references—let’s see how well they know their Vowels.
In this story:
Creative Director, Yuki Yagi
Art Director, Andreas Pappamikail
Assistant Art Director, Lucie Clause
Photographer, Hugo Varaldi
Videographer, Sam Youkilis
Image Stylist, Simonez Wolf
Video Stylist, Livia Rossi
Hair Stylist, Hiro Furukawa
Make-Up Artist, Yvane Rocher
Casting Director, Finlay Macaulay
Image Models, Yacine Keita, Natalie Taschler
Video Models, Models, Jonas Haharfi and Lucia Martinez
Set Designer, Gwenaelle Michau
Content Production: Kitten Production
