Masayuki Ino’s talent lies in how he’s able to plumb the depths of popular culture in Japan to reinterpret it in a way that is reliably entertaining, even if it may not always easily translate. For this season, the designer chose the Japanese concept of oshi, the idea of rooting for an idol or celebrity. Fan culture—from Taylor Swift’s Swifties to BTS’s Army—is a defining phenomenon of our age, but nowhere does it quite like Japan.
Take ita bags (literally “painful” or “cringe” bags), which are covered in rows of badges or festooned with key rings depicting anime characters or pop idols beloved by the wearer. See also itasha (cringe-mobiles covered in fan-merchandise stickers). For Doublet’s spring collection, Ino put his own twist on ita bags, creating ita biker jackets with rows of anime badges in a window of clear vinyl on the back. The show took place outside in a makeshift concert setting in front of a standing-only crowd, with guests given homemade uchiwa (fans that are often waved at shows) decorated with messages in Japanese like “Blow a kiss!” and “Point at me!” and “We love Doublet!”
Elsewhere, gold- and silver-tinseled cheerleading pom-poms appeared as sleeves or as clutches. Colorful anime characters created by AI were printed onto T-shirts and jeans; goggles came with two giant love hearts over the eyes; and Your Only Fans was emblazoned in pink across a cropped varsity jersey. It was Doublet at its cheeky best, but behind the jokes were some beautifully cut trousers and jackets, as well as thoughtful fabric work. As Ino explained postshow, he has been working more and more each season with innovative fabrics such as Spiber, a material grown from protein, as well as bio-PVC made from apple seeds and skins.
Overall, this collection was the designer’s way of saying thank you to his team of supporters and the people who have helped him along his journey—from being the first Japanese designer to win the LVMH Prize in 2018 to his current position as fashion’s premier funnyman. Backstage after the presentation, die-hard Doublet devotees from across the industry swarmed to congratulate the designer, as well as a few others who saw his show for the first time. The expansion of the Doublet fan base continues apace.
