Setchu stages first runway show in Milan menswear
Like in his debut, the Japanese designer has gone fishing for inspiration. This time, it was not in the Pacific but near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, where the discovery of striking straw-using artisans was the wellspring of this dramatic collection.
Presented inside a 100-year-plus atelier in Milan, the co-ed show opened with a leggy lass in an oversized man's shirt, cut with kimono-worthy sleeves, followed by a matinee idol Asian male model in brilliant giant white cotton pants that hung off the waist. Note to all fashionistas: the elephantine pant is again essential in every man's wardrobe.
Kuwata played accomplishedly with a series of colonial motifs – safari jackets or rangers' coats – cutting them loose and disentangled. In a sense, the biggest news of this collection was how the female models looked even better in Setchu's masculine tailoring than the male models.
One gal in a khaki look that riffed on Grace Kelly in John Ford's classic film, Mogambo, looked utterly divine, her allure enhanced by a triplet of straw bags she carried in her right hand. She was followed by a raven-haired lass in a white mini-tunic cocktail dress wrapped in a wildly woven basket.
'It's a new side of Setchu. I was under a lot of pressure from friends to show again. But what attracted me was how much I could express, even with a small budget. The goal is always to make something emotional,' said Japan-born Satoshi.
Kuwata is one of fashion's great image-makers, and his noble African in a slim blazer paired with a white T-shirt and midnight blue dhoti shorts was a look of great understated elegance — especially on a Milan Friday when temperatures soared up to 38 Celsius.
'I love playful functionality, but timeless and with another joy,' he expounded in his sibylline manner.
Trained by Huntsman and Davies & Son — the latter being the oldest tailor on Savile Row — Satoshi is an excellent pattern cutter, a skill few of his contemporaries will ever achieve. Though this season, he insisted he wanted sculpting, not just tailoring.
'Victoria Falls is one of the best fishing destinations to catch tiger fish. And I met this tribe — the Batonga — and their way of weaving baskets, which is quite different from any other country. So, the construction is random, which is what I wanted in this collection — organic random shapes,' insisted Satoshi, the 2023 LVMH Prize winner.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
19 hours ago
- France 24
Ombudsman gives Gosden another International, Derby hero Lambourn loses
Gosden, who shares training duties with his son Thady, might have feared a case of deja vu after another stable star Field of Gold was beaten by his pacemaker at Goodwood in the Sussex Stakes. Rab Havlin set a searing pace on Ombudsman's pacemaker Birr Castle and when he was 25 lengths clear it looked like he might pull off a shock on the 150/1 shot, sent over from France by Andre Fabre. However, he began to tire and William Buick found an extra gear on Ombudsman to take the honours with second favourite Delacroix, who had beaten him in their previous clash the Eclipse Stakes, finishing runner-up. Birr Castle took third and a hefty cheque of £141,000 ($190,000), due reward for his efforts -- Buick doing a high five with Havlin for his riding performance. Japanese runner Danon Decile failed to justify his tag as third favourite, watched on television by an estimated 3 million people back in Japan, finishing second last of the six runners with his connections saying "there were no excuses". For Buick, though, it was a bitter sweet victory as he dedicated the victory to a close friend. "Lost a dear friend last week," said the 37-year-old Norway-born jockey. "I was meant to be having dinner with him tonight but he passed away suddenly." Gosden said he had been worried at one stage Fabre's horse would win. "With two furlongs to run I thought Andre had won the race!" said Gosden. "But Ombudsman is a lovely horse, he won it emphatically, he has only been beaten in the Eclipse this season and that was a muddling affair. "He is getting better and better, he's a proper horse." 'Where he belongs' Earlier the warning signs were out for Ryan Moore and Lambourn a fair way from home in the Group Two Voltigeur Stakes. As he faded to fifth it was Pride of Arras, a horse that finished well behind him both at Epsom and in the Irish Derby, that prevailed. Well fancied for Epsom when he won the Dante at York in May, it appeared trainer Ralph Beckett's decision to geld him had transformed him. The only downside is that it rules him out of running in the oldest classic, the English St Leger at Doncaster in September. "He is just a very good horse," said Beckett. "There is never one specific factor in losing one's form, there are layers. "He needed gelding. After his two disappointing Derby runs the game was gone as regards being a stallion. "He is now back to where he belongs, it is fantastic." Beckett was loathe to say it was his greatest training performance. "I suppose at the end of the year we will be proud to have got him back to the top tier." Winning jockey Rossa Ryan said gelding him had been the right call. "I won't lie, I lost a bit of belief in him," he said. "Form, though, is temporary, class is permanent and he showed that in the Dante and today." Distant Storm cost Dubai's Godolphin Operation 1.9million euros but the 11/10 favourite failed to sparkle in the Group Three Acomb Stakes fading to finish third behind Gewan and Aidan O'Brien's Italy. Gewan's victory owed much to jockey PJ McDonald, who has struck up a great relationship with trainer Andrew Balding. This was his 17th winner in 55 rides for him. Gewan, whose performance earned him a 16/1 quote for next year's English 2000 Guineas, had shown he has the ideal big race temperament by falling asleep in his box an hour before the race. "He is so laid back, an ideal ride" purred McDonald.
Fashion Network
21 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Swatch ad that sparked backlash puts focus on risky campaigns amid diversity rollbacks
In an era of short attention spans and a White House that has declared war on diversity programs, companies are embracing edgier marketing. But the strategy can carry risks. Swiss watchmaker Swatch recently got in trouble for an ad that mimicked racist taunts against Asians and had to apologise. The ad featured an Asian male model pulling up and backwards the corners of his eyes in a "slanted eye" pose. It was not clear if the mistake was an intentional bid to grab attention. The Swatch misfire was just one in a growing number of norm-breaking advertisements that come amid a rollback in diversity programs in the US. In addition, shoppers' constrained budgets and short memories have prompted companies to green-light riskier ads that they hope will help them stand out in a competitive market. In pursuit of going viral, companies including American Eagle Outfitters, Dunkin Donuts and Elf Beauty recently released advertisements that were immediately criticised on social media for seemingly promoting white-centric beauty ideals, or for hiring celebrity endorsers who might have negative associations. American Eagle's ad featured Sydney Sweeney - an actor popular with Gen Z and known for her parts in hit shows including "The White Lotus" and "Euphoria" - who played on the similarity between the words "jeans" and "genes." The commercial was widely panned on social media for possibly raising issues of genetic traits in a racial context. US President Donald Trump even weighed in on the controversy, calling the commercial by Sweeney, a registered Republican, the "HOTTEST ad out there" and saying "Being WOKE is for losers." Dunkin followed with an ad featuring actor Gavin Casalegno promoting a new summer drink called Golden Hour. In the ad, Casalegno attributes his tan to genetics, saying "This tan? Genetics. I just got my colour analysis back. Guess what? Golden summer. Literally." Swatch, American Eagle Outfitters and Dunkin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Businesses - especially those that make money from buzzy trends - are pushing the envelope as recent federal actions have shifted the legal and regulatory landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The notion of inclusivity had been a cornerstone of many companies' marketing since 2020, when the death of a Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police, became a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. Five years later, that idea has been de-emphasised. "Marketers are between a rock and a hard place. They know that the more inclusive they are, the less likely they are to get some social media buzz,' said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. They are taking more risks to try to break through to a younger, targeted audience, he said. Any gains from these ads, though, could be short-lived. They risk harming a brand's reputation in the longer run and may alienate a large consumer base of non-white shoppers, branding experts said. 'Whether it's the Black consumer, the Asian consumer, the Latin consumer, when American Eagle does an ad like that, they're excluding and they're leaving money on the table,' said Angeli Gianchandani, an adjunct professor at New York University and a brand strategist who has worked with the likes of Tiffany. Gianchandani said while non-Hispanic white Americans dominate US buying power, these other demographics are growing faster. L'Oréal faced criticism this month for partnering with a content creator on OnlyFans who posts lifestyle as well as adult content. The move went against the company's own stated guidelines for working with social media influencers that says these partners will not "engage in behaviours which could be interpreted as... pornography." Elf's ad that starred Matt Rife, a comedian who has made headlines for his joke about domestic violence, drew swift and sharp reaction online. It prompted an apology from the company whose trendy, inexpensive products are a hit with young shoppers. L'Oreal and Elf did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "That is not a blind spot; that is a brand knowingly stepping into controversy with someone who does not align with its values," said Gianchandani, calling the move an "unforced error." Unlike Elf, and also Swatch, which apologised quickly for their ads, American Eagle stood by its campaign. Ashley Schapiro, American Eagle's vice president of marketing, said on LinkedIn that on a Zoom call with Sweeney, company executives asked her, 'How far do you want to push it?' 'Without hesitation, she smirked and said, 'Let's push it. I'm game.' Our response? 'Challenge Accepted'." © Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Time to Go: Japan pro board game player retires at 98
Go is a strategy game considered to be even more complex than chess and involves players placing black and white stones at points on a square wooden table. Kazuko Sugiuchi turned professional in 1948 and won her first title 11 years later, before going on to win the prestigious Women's Meijin Championship four times in a row. She became Japan's oldest professional player in April last year, breaking the record previously held by her late husband Masao. She is set to be promoted to the rank of ninth dan after retiring, becoming the first woman to reach that level. She said the gruelling sessions at the board were the reason why she is calling it quits. "I have always worked hard with the belief that Go is an art and a lifelong pursuit, but I have decided that playing six hours without a break is no longer possible," she was reported as saying by national broadcaster NHK. "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has shown me kindness over the 80 years since I first aspired to be a Go player."
