Sulvam’s Teppei Fujita said his Spring presentation represented an academic setting, pointing to two mature models as teacher types among a class of coed students. Staggered throughout the tableaux vivant were large glass hookahs. What kind of school was this, really? “This is the school I wanted to go to,” he said with a smile.
After showings in both Milan and at Pitti, this season marks the Tokyo-based designer’s first in Paris, and it comes on the heels of being a finalist for the LVMH Prize. Deliberately, it would seem, his characters never assimilate with their location; they remain a band of insouciant outsiders. “Sulvam seeks freedom and genderlessness,” noted the inspiration text. Or more accurately, gender inclusivity, since, as another first, he proposed a number of dedicated women’s looks. Previously, girls could borrow a blouson or oversize patterned sweater from the guys; now, their options increase with pieces like lightweight camisoles and ankle-length skirts. And at the other end of the spectrum were new versions of Fujita’s unstructured suiting—ties et al. “So much fashion has gone to the street; when I think of fashion, I still think of ties,” he said, noting that their connotation need not be corporate (special Nike kicks and color-coordinated Clarks confirmed as much). “I think they can actually be ageless.”
Fujita develops all his own fabrics, so even when the final looks feel a little unresolved, there’s usually some point of interest in his process. His custom lace was the strongest element here, especially when shown as a standalone blouson or a lab coat–like overlay. And while gabardine wouldn’t ordinarily seem newsworthy, the fact that he had swapped out his default black (a holdover from his time alongside Yohji Yamamoto) for a lighter scheme spanning stony, sandy, and bottle-glassy made this collection stand out from his others. Needless to say, so did all those sharper hues and the studs that decorated skater-approximate pants. When it was suggested that these school characters gave off a certain Hitchcock strangeness, their style cool yet slightly twisted, Fujita needed a memory jog before realizing the reference. “Yes, this is me,” he said.
