Sulvam’s Teppei Fujita was something of a big brother on the Tokyo schedule this season. Showing in Japan for the first time in three years (he usually presents his collections in Paris, where he just opened his first shop), Fujita is a beacon of success in the Japanese scene; a lodestar for what many emerging designers here strive for. Many of them were in the audience at Sulvam’s show tonight, excited to see what Fujita had to offer.
Did he set a shining example? There was the high budget production and vast show space—this season Sulvam was sponsored by Rakuten’s By R initiative—plus some celebrity wattage too, with Japanese acting royalty Yosuke Kubozuka sitting front row. It also marked Sulvam’s tenth year in business. Expectations were high.
Fujita’s skill in fabrication is clear. His staples are romantically flowing shirts (often styled with a skinny black tie), unfinished hems with delicately trailing threads, and visible seams. Like a contemporary-minded couturier, he has a special knack for exposing the innards of the design process, seen this time on the contrast-seam jackets and white button-up shirts whose layered seams hung in ribbons across the back. Striped jersey tops and dresses that recalled Hot Topic emo styles from the 2000s had been pulled with holes or ruched up one side, while sheer paisley shirts brought an Americana vibe. Abstract floral get-ups, gold pants and jackets were followed by silver iterations. Best of all were the ’80s Armani-ish suits, updated for the moment with asymmetric quarters and wide curves slashed to reveal spools of lining, that came in black, then scarlet, then pinstripe.
The diversity of the clothes showed off Fujita’s breadth of design talent, but as a show it lacked cohesion. When asked if he was worried that showing such a wide variety of styles, cuts and colors might result in a diluted sense of identity, Fujita was quick to answer. “If we created 50 looks this time, I think it’s fine if all 50 looks have completely different expressions. Various media and journalists say a lot about that, but I believe in myself, and Sulvam’s customers believe in me,” he said after the show. “Spending time between Japan and Paris, I realized that life is completely different in both places. The way people wear clothes is different… I felt all kinds of things. I’m in a situation where my ideas are endless.”
While that kind of unbridled creative freedom sounds great on paper, in practice the brands that burn brightest on the runway are usually the ones that are able to edit their ideas into one clear thread. If Fujita had narrowed his focus further, he might have set an example worth following.
