Blaak (Q3907)
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Blaak is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Blaak |
Blaak is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif of Blaak make casual streetwear out of floppy, worn-in fabric. But what sets the line apart from a humdrum jeans collection is its deceptive simplicity—a lot of thought goes into creating that impression of easy, low-maintenance hipness.For spring, Blaak took pre-washed, overdyed cottons and made them into crinkly shirtdresses and circle skirts with crazy animal prints and zigzagging, African-inspired patterns. Okada and Sharif even tackled that most formal of classics, the Chanel-inspired suit, fraying the edges and running zippers up the back of the skirt. (Close up, what looked like lightweight tweed turned out to be hand-perforated cotton, run through the washing machine several dozen times to give it a great, worn-out, messed-up feel.) Another standout was a red-and-white printed anorak, with elastic creating bunchy effects through the torso and sleeves; it turned out to be made of paper. Okada described this season’s look as “Random—borderline mad!” But the collection made perfect sense for seekers of cool, one-off pieces to amp up a summer wardrobe.
22 September 2003
With a suddenkerranng!of heavy-metal energy, Blaak woke up the London scene with a show that proved that not all young Brit designers are sleepwalking back to the ’60s. Stomping out in a gray denim flying suit with punky black-banded zones of cross-laced tapes running up and down her body, Blaak’s first model struck a rebel pose, and the collection was on a roll.Designers Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif picked up the sport/utilty track where they left it off last season, but zipped up the action with some rock-star attitude for a collection called Electric Collision. They used contrasting washed-satin and mesh fabrics, chemical-dyed denim and metallic-shot silk to give the aviator look a streetwise workout. Best of all—in a season when many have played it safe with black—they kept the faith with color, using shades of raspberry, turquoise, royal blue and silver. When Okada described the theme of the show as “cosmonauts meet crusaders,” it didn’t illuminate much; but the idea of designing for “a strong woman” hit a refreshing note in a London season that has often seemed to equate youth with passivity.
17 February 2003
Blaak, thenom de modeof Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif, is a label that has established its identity by creating accessible, on-trend streetwear. This season, following the prevailing currents, the designers have moved from peasant remixes to a sporty ’80s approach full of references to the first great London fashion boom, circa 1984, when Katharine Hamnett and Body Map ruled the runways with their combat and dancewear clothes.The designers played the trend with a collection of white and neutral tones punched up with metallic and neon touches, all done in washed cotton, mesh, satin and leather. Add in a lot of layering—tank tops under bombers, skirts over pants—plus cutaway, casual shapes, and you get the general picture.Blaak’s best pieces are the elastic-waist bombers and vests that curve in back, tracksuit style. And the perforated white leather with solid banding on the seams was a snappy offering for summer’s fashion workout.
13 September 2002
The search for escape routes out of the "peasant" and "tribal" themes of Spring—without abandoning the color and energy they brought to the scene—is becoming part of the saga of this season's collections. When Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif of Blaak took their own particular streetwise diversion off the nomad path, they ended up with a hit.Adding a tougher edge to hippie eclecticism, Blaak put zippy bomber jackets in overdyed furnishing fabric over layered lace-edged skirts, and used shots of bright orange, turquoise and purple against military greens. And while Mexican references could be seen in a great stripy shoulder bag and the knitted shawls wound around some outfits, the real success of the collection was that it didn't look like a bunch of travelers' souvenirs. That's thanks to the rumpled treatment of washed and worn-in cotton drill and silk, the offhand sexiness of the drapey jersey tanks knotted at the shoulders, and the fact that the models swaggered in their hip-slung skirts and pants in elongated Robert Clergerie flats. No '60s hippie ever dressed like that, nor had that attitude—which is exactly what made this collection look so fresh.
20 February 2002
Though many designers who are equipped to show elsewhere have quit the London scene this season, others are stepping into the limelight to defend the city's creative reputation. One such is Blaak, the collection by Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif, who showed on the official British Fashion Council runway for the first time.The theme was African Zulu, starting with strong pieces in ebony leather, decorated with tribal scarification patterns and festooned with belts and jewelry in wood, leather and cowrie shells by Edward Griffiths. Black jersey T-shirts with cutouts and knotted details looked great with soft skirts, but the confidence of Blaak's touch really emerged as the pair added asymmetric skirts with black and white prints, and a crumpled cotton collarless shirt."It was our interpretation of African," said Okada, "but instead of direct, indirect. It should be something you could wear in London or New York. We wanted it to be super-tribal, super-happy, so you feel the heat." That's an act of solidarity, not insensitivity, she added. "This is a sad time. But if the fashion industry stops, the terrorists, who want everyone to be sad, will have won."Working steadily to produce off-schedule shows since they sold their first tiny collection to the Browns Focus store while still students, the designers have now won significant sponsorship (from Vidal Sassoon, Swarovski and Sony), giving them the wherewithal to stand on an international platform.
17 September 2001
Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif, the duo behind Blaak, met while studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins and have been inseparable ever since. Their debut collection, which they showed in 1998 while still in college, was immediately snapped up by London's hip Browns Focus boutique, which has carried the label ever since. Blaak's strength lies in translating forward-thinking ideas into accessible clothes that retain a distinct air of individuality. Take their Fall collection, where traditional preppy style was reinterpreted with deep-plunging pink vests, sensible button-downs, and snappy pencil skirts decorated with trompe l'oeil bows and crisscrossed ribbons. More daring experiments included puff-sleeve tops, generous prom skirts in bright hues, and quasi-military jackets with substantial epaulets that were pinned over and in front of the shoulders like folded wings.<r>Designed for a young, urban and in-the-know clientele, Blaak's clothes effortlessly convey a spirit of quiet subversion.</r>
29 May 2001