Mame Kurogouchi’s show usually takes place on the first morning of Paris Fashion Week, and in recent seasons it has been hosted at Ogata, a haven of Japanese haute cuisine. It’s an intimate gathering that offers guests a much-appreciated start to the week, where they are served tea alongside an assortment of mochis—Japanese treats made from rice paste and infused with various flavors. It’s a rare moment of tranquility before the whirlwind of shows and events, thoughtfully curated by the designer, Maiko Kurogouchi, and her collections are beautifully framed by the serene setting. Before the show, Kurogouchi engages with guests, guiding them through a small exhibition of artifacts and books that have inspired her. Then she enjoys the presentation standing among the audience, and when the time comes for her bow, she does so with grace and a touch of reluctance.
In this collection, Kurogouchi drew inspiration from the rich vermillion and black gradients of traditional Japanese lacquerware, the pillowy form of the mochi she enjoys for breakfast, and the century-old suminagashi technique of marble printing, where ink swirls freely on water before being transferred onto fabric.
Woven into her designs, this imagery shaped supple, asymmetrical draping; softly sculpted silhouettes; airy, enveloping volumes; and delicate, painterly surfaces. A highlight of the collection was a series of impactful puffers: cocoon-like dress coats in black or white with generous, embracing collars and subtle jacquard textures. Unlike traditional piuminos with horizontal stitching, they featured rounded, three-dimensional padding that seemed to organically emerge from the fabric. They evoked the smooth pebbles of a riverbank, the delicious softness of mochi, or “clouds of spun sugar,” said Kurogouchi, whose grace and thoughtful references to Japanese cultural and artisanal heritage make her work captivating.
