Hyke (Q4784)
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Hyke is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Hyke |
Hyke is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode like to look back at the past, but it wouldn’t be right to call them sentimentalists. The Hyke designers have decades of experience reinterpreting old military workwear (indeed, that’s what they do best), and while their penchant for drawing on vintage staples can feel overly consistent, this season showed a willingness to push those boundaries.True to form, they named the collection “Reminiscing.” Happily, it felt fresh, forward-looking, and relevant to contemporary life. Taking inspiration from “Amekaji,” the Japanese truncation of “American Casual,” the duo referenced the rugged workwear, knitted polos and ombré buffalo plaid shirts imported from America that were popular in Japan in the 1980s and ’90s, and made them their own.Sharp pleated shorts were layered over wide-legged sheer black chiffon trousers that almost looked like mosquito nets—albeit very stylish mosquito nets—and rippled elegantly with each footstep. The shirt dresses and ribbed trousers were equally floaty, showing Ode and Yoshihara’s considerable prowess at making clothes that come to life in motion. “The movement was very important,” explained Ode during a walkthrough over a video call. “It takes a lot of trial and error to get that flow.”Sprinkled throughout the collection were practical pieces from their ongoing collaboration with The North Face, which are sure to find lots of takers when they hit stores in spring. Ditto the asymmetric layered tank tops, crafted from a stretchy mesh fabric that can apparently only be made by the Japanese textile maker Ono Meriyasu.Hyke is nothing if not pragmatic, and as usual these were clothes that would be at home pretty much anywhere you deigned to take them. In recent seasons it feels like we’ve given up on the elusive concept of “desk to dinner dressing” (surely nothing more than fashion journo froth in hindsight), but this latest showing from Hyke was basically that. It felt full of possibilities.
7 September 2024
Like many designers in Tokyo this season, Hyke’s Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode spoke about looking to their past for the Fall collection. The brand, which the couple launched in 2013, has been crafting technical wear into cool-looking casual staples long before it became the trendy thing to do, and has built a loyal fanbase for its tasteful outdoorsy offering.“We wanted to go back to basics while keeping everything high quality but also functional,” said Ode. The designers managed this by continuing their use of utilitarian fabrics; they incorporated Polartec into faux sheepskin gilets (sometimes cropped, sometimes longer), while faux leather made from recycled polyurethane was used for sleek-looking skirts and bomber jackets. Everything unfolded in mostly monochrome, with a few pops of orange. The beige trench coats, wonderfully clean, were the standouts of the collection, while the too-high-waisted trousers and corduroy corsets added points of necessary intrigue.The brand also continued its collaboration with Chacoli which brought new backpacks, and with The North Face on some running vests and minimal-looking separates. The latter partnership is very popular in Japan: Hyke’s spring collection dropped last week and the North Face pieces have already sold out, said Ode.Overall this was a pleasant collection, but there’s an underlying feeling in recent seasons that Hyke is standing still. There’s plenty of charm left in the brand’s consistency to be sure, but there will come a time when taking a step forwards, rather than looking back, will be necessary.
18 March 2024
Graceful gorpcore might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s exactly what Yukiko Ode and Hideaki Yoshihara make. Seasoned pros at blending the utilitarian and grounded with the floaty and feminine, the couple stuck to the script this season and drew on their love for the great outdoors.There was a particular focus on trail running, something that Ode and Yoshihara have been enjoying recently along with paddle-boarding and canoeing. They translated this onto the clothes in both practical ways (fabrics used included a lightweight water-resistant Pertex and Taslan twill, a kind of high-tech nylon) and more aesthetic ones, such as the topography map print that rippled across billowy trench coats and sheer jumpsuits. The aerial contour lines on some of the black and beige looks turned out to be taken from the mountains of Kiryu, Ode’s hometown in Gunma prefecture, a nice insight into how the designers draw literally from the land.They also teamed up with The North Face—a longtime Hyke collaborator—on a few trail running staples. A standout from the union were the stylish sack vests, something that could prove useful whether climbing mountains or schlepping to the office. “Oftentimes trail running jackets have stuff all over the back, and we wanted to avoid that,” said Ode. They cleverly took any fuss away in favor of a vented back to keep the wearer cool, and added enough pocket space for two water bottles, a detail of which Ode seemed especially proud.There was particular power in the movement of the clothes on the body. Billowing pants and swishy mesh dresses complemented each step, while the puff-sleeved denim jackets and tight-topped strapless jumpsuits—made from a double-faced polyester wool—brought dimension that felt both sturdy and elegant. They were clothes made for feeling comfortable while walking, and looking great while doing so.Hyke is very consistent—you might say it sits just on the right side of predictable—but the designers never seem to run out of fresh ideas for how to make a technical fabric feel elegant, or finding an innovative new place to hide a water bottle. Ode credited that to the Japanese countryside, which she’s itching to get back to. “When this season finishes and the market’s over, we’re really just looking forward to going back into nature again,” she said. “Maybe I’ll find some new mountains to climb.”
31 August 2023
Hyke’s steady come-up has coincided with the wider rise of gorpcore, which at this point seems to have had its place in contemporary fashion cemented—helped along by the pandemic, which encouraged more people to get outside. But husband-and-wife designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode are no clout chasers; they’ve been doing their nattily feminine interpretation of military-inspired techwear for a decade now and manage to make it feel fresh each season by dutifully building on what they have done before and making clever tweaks as they go.This season those tweaks came in the form of subtle fabric updates to existing styles, as well as a few new pieces. The polka dots on monochrome maxidresses, for instance, were in fact made up of tiny graphic squares, and squares also appeared in the form of holes on the handbags, which were made in collaboration with Chacoli.A shock of red materialized this season too, and it delivered a satisfying point of difference to the neutral shades in the rest of the collection. “We always add a bit of color. We use a lot of olive green, so we’re always trying to find shades that will look good with that,” Ode said.The designer has spent a lot of time over the past few months trail running in the mountains near Zushi in Kanagawa prefecture (where the brand has an atelier), and so the vests and Nordic sweaters were cropped to recall performance running vests or incorporated handy compartments for holding a water bottle.As is usually the case with Hyke, the real draw of these pieces was how genuinely utilitarian they looked. The parka coats were made from a Pertex Shield material that is windproof, waterproof, breathable, and lightweight, while the khaki and black jumpsuits were made from a thick knit that managed to retain a fluid lightness. The floaty dobby-check dresses were standouts, crafted from a quick-drying, moisture-wicking Soalon fabric that could go from the mountains to the metro with grace.
16 March 2023
Every season, Hyke designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode infuse their work with a sense of utility and sport mixed with ease and femininity. For spring, they built upon these signature codes, and drew further inspiration from the great outdoors — complete with shoes done in collaboration with outdoorsy brand Keen. Both avid campers and trail running enthusiasts, the design duo wanted a collection that felt like it was built for performance — referencing vintage workwear and military uniforms to do so — but put forward staples that you could also wear to work, or even on a Friday night out.One of the main performance fabrics Hyke used this season is Pertex, a lightweight waterproof fabric, which they used on Desert Storm-style military silhouettes. In fact, many of the outerwear pieces referenced military staples; the cropped vests, for instance, nodded to vintage U.S. military L-2A flight jackets, while the longer-sleeve coats were inspired by M-65 jackets. The nylon anoraks — styled oversized with clean, unfussy lines — were also reminiscent of parkas used for mountain climbing.It wasn’t all rough-and-tumble materials, though. There was a deliberate attempt at softening and elevating pieces to make them feel more feminine. Long smock dresses, made of micro rip-stop nylon, a popular material in pieces meant for trail running, were surprisingly elegant; as were blouses that subtly referenced vintage military shirts with patch pockets on the chest, offset by softer, sheer sleeves, and trousers with a tulle skirt overlay. Elsewhere, lighter linens, cotton knits, and denim chambrays were used for some of the tailored separates, but the netted chord skirts were a standout. Perhaps the most special, however, were the opening breezy maxi dresses with an original print inspired by pebbles found in the river during one of their nature walks. From the creek to the catwalk.
1 September 2022
Fashion will always prioritize aesthetics, but given the state of the world, any designer alluding to a branch of the armed forces needs to tread carefully. When placed in a sartorial context, words likemilitarycan be reduced to stereotypes. Many collections are peppered with camouflage or come with notes praising the look of fatigues and epaulets. The historical context of each reference matters, as does how the subject is broached. Hyke designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode have done their homework when it comes to uniforms. Avid collectors of vintage army, navy, and air force gear from across the globe, they understand the subtle way a soldier’s clothing is used to denote rank, skill set, and even the passage of time.When the pair began work on their fall 2022 collection, they found themselves intrigued by the marinière shirts worn by the French navy from the 1850s onward. They’re far from the first designers to look to the iconic blue-and-white tops—Coco Chanel famously drew inspiration from the sailors of Deauville during her years as a boutique owner in the Côte Fleurie—but their interpretation was novel. Drawing from the ubiquitous Breton shirt’s colors and clean lines, they utilized a cool-toned color palette and decorated pants and tunics with sets of white rectangles.The naval references allowed the duo to play with aquatic imagery. Peplums on blue knitwear curved like fish tails, while strategic use of tulle made some looks appear to float as models glided down the runway. Raincoats took on exaggerated proportions, with padding expanding them into cocoon-like protective shapes that seemed organic but relied on careful construction. “We wanted to challenge ourselves,” said Ode. “The shapes are made using a tube pattern, and then the quilting is a square pattern, which we don’t usually do. It was all inspired by this quilted liner used in military jackets.”Fending off the chill, be it from sea air or a city snowstorm, was top of mind this season. “The outerwear grew out of the U.S. Army’s advanced cold-weather-clothing systems,” explains Yoshihara. “You’ll have a parka in Gore-Tex or a trench-coat shape, but it’s all padded for warmth.” To balance their continued use of performance materials like Gore-Tex, the pair incorporated fresh elements like Entrant, the breathable waterproof weave launched by Toray Industries (which revolutionized fashion in the ’70s by introducing the world to Ultrasuede).
Hyke’s collections are atmosphere pieces, not narratives, so slight shifts take on special significance. Innovations like Entrant added a sporty touch to the anoraks and bombers, but the material that pushed the envelope was tulle; fall marked the first time it graced Hyke’s runway. “We have a tendency to use more masculine, utilitarian materials, but we wanted to add a feminine side,” said Ode. “For us, tulle feels new and layered under the short skirts, and on the ruffles, it adds this softness.” Given the ethereal quality such details contributed to the collection, it will be interesting to see how Ode and Yoshihara continue to interpret the newest addition to their textile repertoire.
22 March 2022
Every Hyke collection begins with a look back. Designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode are vintage enthusiasts with an eye for military uniforms. Their interest in that concept has yielded multiple reimaginings of livery garments, some straightforward and others abstract. Spring finds them leaning towards the latter; their exploration of ’90s outerwear—think windbreakers and vests of the North Face variety—and the marinières of early 20th century French naval-wear verge far from the source material. Sure, you’ll see classics like the ubiquitous Breton striped sweaters that litter Instagram and denim jackets of the light-wash variety, but Hyke’s versions add a new verve. Split the sleeves of a jumper until they swing like a cape, or add Elizabethan-esque puffed sleeves to those jean jackets, and you have an entirely new mood, one that trades on the familiar while taking things a step further.Yoshihara and Ode are skilled at seeing the potential in items that other designers might ignore. Several of the season’s essential accessories stem from the drawstring pulls found on hoodies and sweats, a throwaway element that could have landed on the cutting room floor. Here they’re woven into thick belts attached with metal parachute clips bearing the brand’s logo and chunky matching bracelets. From afar, you might mistake them for leather or another material associated with luxury, but it’s the prevalence of these no-frills add-ons that make them special. If you’ve ever tossed one of those strings in the trash, you may find yourself feeling a twinge of regret upon seeing the marvels that Hyke’s designers have managed to create with them.As always, the clothes that made their way down the runway here were wearable, functional, and beautiful. Transformation emerged as a theme, with the all-business pinstriped men’s button-down getting a new life as a flowing shirtdress. At the same time, safari khakis were updated with oversized pockets and belted skirts. Neutrals and minimalism are what Hyke’s fans have come to expect. Still, the introduction of a bright turquoise colorway and plenty of pleated separates provided enough oomph to grab the attention of those whose tastes occupy the other end of the spectrum.
7 September 2021
Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode established the codes of their brand early, and with each season they build on that foundation. It goes without saying that a HYKE show will be sleek, chic, and filled with references to vintage military uniforms. Such consistency of vision can make even the smallest of changes feel profound; such is the case with the duo’s latest collection. Fair Isle sweaters, spectacles, and a splash of red don’t scream reinvention, but it’s doubtful that masters of subtlety like Yoshihara and Ode would ever want their work to shout.Workwear served as fall’s focus, namely the old school uniforms that were once the norm for outdoorsy professions. “The red actually comes from rural American workwear of the ’40s and ’50s,” explained Ode. “Often, it was produced by Woolrich or Filson, so we took those colors and incorporated them into the collection.” That rustic touch proved incredibly versatile. The classic crimson and black Woolrich plaid was stripped down to bare bones, then used to detail cardigans and floor-grazing overcoats. HYKE delivered its own version of tartan, a taupe and scarlet hybrid that featured on asymmetrical capes, a puff-sleeved prairie dress, and more. From afar, the pattern seemed traditional, but a quick zoom-in revealed the artful way the designers mixed its grids of color using squares for the top of a dress, then a maze of rhombuses at the bottom.Fabrication is an area in which Yoshihara and Ode excel; the ability to find and utilize unexpected materials is part of HYKE’s charm. This season an ultra-suede typically used for couches and car interiors found its way onto dresses and minimalist overcoats with curved shoulders. Chosen for its ability to hold shape, the material added new verve to familiar silhouettes. Likewise, Pertex, an English cousin of GORE-TEX with a softer, more pliable feel, gave the tech fabric segment a touch of delicacy. “It has the functionality of outdoor performance gear, but it works well with our designs,” said Ode. “We’re interested in using these new fabrications, but in a way that can be feminine.” The season’s knits were compelling, with a Fair Isle-esque motif featuring on multiple pieces. Khaki, cream, and black, it skewed graphic instead of classic, especially on a chunky knit jumper worn by model turned jewelry designer Marland Backus.
When it came time to present the collection, Yoshihara and Ode went with a video format in light of the continued COVID-19 health regulations and filled their cast with brainy beauties decked out in their collaboration with Julius Tart Optical. Despite the many subtle changes, the duo felt it was important to create something akin to the vibe of their usual Tokyo Fashion Week shows. While there’s no doubt their audience would have enjoyed an in-person introduction to their latest wares, the offering’s strength came through regardless.
19 March 2021
You can always count on Hyke. Designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode never stray too far from their standards; their sense of restraint and reference points culled from the tradition of military uniforms have been a constant during uncertain times. When everything else in the world is in a flux state, it’s nice to see a brand that understands its aesthetic. Yoshihara and Ode may adhere to a formula, but Hyke’s clothes evolve gradually, each season revealing a new twist on their minimal modernity. Spring’s focus on texture and transparency replaced fall’s nautical motifs. The gauzy USN hospital gowns inspired voile overcoats and loose dresses so convincingly medical one almost expected to find their backs completely open. Likewise, belted jumpsuits in steel blue were reminiscent of scrubs. Given the events of 2020, nods to PPE are to be expected, but Yoshihara and Ode avoided dwelling on present-day concerns: The past and the future have always been more their speed.The duo’s expansive vintage collection informed nylon coats that echoed the silhouette of 1940s British Army gear and glossy olive dresses inspired by the French military’s rubber-coated all-weather parkas from the same era. Forward-leaning pieces, such as a navy dress with an elastic waist and a billowing oversized shirtdress, were equally effective in their use of texture to draw the eye closer. Hits from previous collections also made appearances, with fall 2019’s lengthy fringe adding visual interest to black tunics, and the structured pleats of spring 2019 featuring as sheer skirts. An ongoing collaboration with leather goods line Chacoli yielded a new set of carryalls, an oversized fanny pack, and an intriguing neck pouch.Hyke’s consistency has been its strong suit, and here it felt logical; Yoshihara and Ode might be saving their big risks for a moment when life is less complicated. Still, next time around, it would have been fun to see more experimentation: a military reference pulled from the Napoleonic wars or Crusades, say—human history has no shortage of uniformed conflict. Or perhaps a jolt of pink to break up the color palette. As beautiful and reliable as Hyke is, an expansion of scope could take things to that next level. Yoshihara and Ode’s laser focus belies their talent and potential.
12 October 2020
Hyke postponed its presentation this season due to concerns over the coronavirus. In these extenuating circumstances, Vogue Runway has made an exception to its policy and is writing about this collection from photos.Hyke’s Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode find themselves in the trenches this fall. The design duo’s exploration of uniforms is a recurring theme within their work, but each season they tweak the concept. Their new silhouette is long and voluminous, cocooning around the wearer like protective gear. Models were engulfed by anorak capes and quilted ponchos as they breezed down Yoshihara and Ode’s runway in quick succession toting leather carryalls that resembled surplus duffles. Given the current concerns about security, infection, and personal space, the designs felt prescient; shielding oneself in a thick layer of fabric is undoubtedly one way to enforce a boundary, but despite the protective proportions, the collection avoided taking on a somber tone.For spring, the Hyke team tempered the functionality of their designs with whimsical additions like fringe and shades of pastel blue. Fall took those ideas up a notch; a jolt of citron replaced the cool tones, and knit tassels adorned playful Fair Isle dickeys. A section devoted to nautical stripes and tartan was appealing, especially when the prints were layered up for a head-to-toe statement. As with many of their previous collections, there was an excellent trench dress—this time with a decorative chest pocket and elasticized waistband—and a touch of outré luxury. Pragmatism be damned, a floor-length fur vest will always be opulent!As part of Tokyo Fashion’s all-digital reimagining, Hyke kicked off a week of livestreams, look books, and clothing viewed from a distance. Though they pulled off the quick change from staged show to social stream masterfully, the beauty of Yoshihara and Ode’s work deserves to be appreciated in person once normalcy is restored.
18 March 2020
No one understands uniforms better than HYKE designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode. Their rigorous exploration of the concept has its roots in their shared interest in vintage, but the results are decidedly modern. The utilitarian wardrobes of the U.S. Navy and British Army served as jumping-off points for Spring’s exploration of pleats, fringe, and flowing oversized silhouettes. Still, the troops weren’t as important as the everyday women who will eventually wear the duo’s deconstructed trench coats and baggy belted shirtdresses.Staged in an expansive warehouse, the pair’s Spring collection focused on the functional. Floor-grazing pleated dresses, elongated blazers, and chambray shirts were appropriate for the office and beyond. Pops of bubblegum pink and light blue added a touch of fun without diverging from the uniform theme. Naturally, there were military references aplenty, but even if you didn’t know those shirtdresses were inspired by work smocks of the German navy, they were appealing.Amidst the performance workwear, Yoshihara and Ode allowed themselves a few flights of fancy, most notably in the denim category, where they cut loose with a cape-like double-sided jacket. Exaggerated takes on the Tilden sweater and a gauzy gown that featured a remixed Breton stripe also looked good. A newly minted collaboration with Adidas is likely to draw comparisons to Stella McCartney or the athletic giant’s original offshoot, Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3, and that isn’t bad company. Well-timed partnerships have served countless brands well, and HYKE’s perspective meshed nicely with the sportier looks; even a triple-stripe T-shirt seemed elevated when paired with a tiered fringe skirt and python flats.
16 October 2019
How do you tackle uniforms without resorting to uniformity? That was the question posed by Hyke’s Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode with their elegant Fall collection. Vintage collectors who stockpile archival military garb, they frequently look to the barracks when searching for inspiration. Despite infusing their outerwear with details taken from Royal Navy duffle coats and Air Force B-15C jackets, Yoshihara and Ode are uninterested in replicating soldiers’ wardrobes. The references add a layer of functionality and precision to the pieces the duo have spent the last two decades perfecting. Devoid of gimmickry, their clothes are souped-up versions of closet staples: slate puffers fit for the tundra, faux-fur cocoon coats plush enough to fool the untrained eye, and work skirts embellished with pleats and fringe for added movement.Utility was the focal point, but Yoshihara and Ode cut loose with a section of emerald green looks that were simply fun. Rib- and cable-knit sweaters offered the season’s prerequisite warmth, but were most interesting when the silhouettes were elongated into knee-grazing shirtdresses. Fringed ponchos and cropped fur jackets with a bolero feel were unexpected additions to the lineup, adding a welcome touch of frippery.With each show Yoshihara and Ode offer an update on their core look that takes the concept of effortless dressing one step further; the evolution works thanks to partnerships with like-minded brands. Japanese leather label, Chacoli, provided oversize office totes large enough to cart around a toddler, while The North Face continued four seasons worth of collaborations with logo-covered parkas for men and women and some of the prettiest Gore-Tex you’re likely to find anywhere.
23 March 2019
Anyone who attended Eckhaus Latta’s Spring 2019 show would have been struck by deja vu at Hyke’s Tokyo venue. Designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode hit a similar note, taking their collection to the fifth floor of a storage warehouse in far-off Shinagawa. The brightly lit concrete space provided a cool change of pace from the more standard venue in Shibuya, where most Tokyo Fashion Week shows take place.Per a brief annotation on the show notes, Hyke remains a “theme-free brand” that finds new inspiration each season. Generally speaking, Yoshihara and Ode reconstruct vintage garments, this season choosing military clothing as their focus. Specifically, they cited a salvaged 1940s U.S. Navy parka and Army M-51 field jackets and pants, along with a 1940s British Army wrap coat and French military motorcycle pants from the same decade.The reworked parkas were nice, like the olive green hooded number cut somewhat like a bolero and worn with a sheer Fortuny pleat halter. Elsewhere, the jackets’ clean lines and utility fabrics contrasted cooly with crisp high-necked, bubble-sleeved dresses. Hyke also unveiled its third collaboration with North Face, which meant logo tees and sneaker-sock boots. Better were the little cropped parkas and the straight black and beige mid-calf coats that took the North Face brand to a simpler, chicer place.
19 October 2018
The charm of Hyke, Yukiko Ode and Hideaki Yoshihara’s deceptively straightforward womenswear line, lies in its quality. Tokyo may be filled with outerwear options and deconstructed basics, but Ode and Yoshihara offer the best of the bunch by eschewing trendiness and opting for functional designs and unique collaborations. They continued to adapt military gear—the designers boast an expansive personal collection of vintage uniforms—into something modern, and began their Fall collection with a touch of luxury. The navy blue overcoat with fur sleeves and large decorative buttons may have been far from practical, but its oversize silhouette and clean lines echoed the look of classic naval bridge coats. When paired with leather leggings and heels, it was easy to forget the piece’s origins, but the merger between the utilitarian and the glamorous served the designers well.Fall, with its sumptuous fabrications and cold-weather layering, allowed for a deeper exploration of the juxtaposition. Though they continued their chic collaboration with The North Face and stuck to their minimalist color palette, the pair seemed to have the most fun playing with texture and embellishment. Lengthy blazers were adorned with fringe; bell sleeves poked out beneath flowing parkas; and the fluffy interiors that adorned most shearlings were placed front and center on jackets, pants, and even heels. The tactile elements served to captivate viewers at their Nakameguro headquarters, which doubled as a show space, but even if you didn’t feel a strong urge to reach out and touch the creamy trousers and fur-covered collars, there was plenty to appreciate. Beneath the attention-grabbing coats were subtle separates ranging from long ribbed sweaterdresses to slit A-line skirts that revealed hidden pleats. Simple, easy to wear, and designed to be appealing long after the season wraps up, these quiet items were the collection’s true takeaway.
29 March 2018
Designers are often fashion archivists, stockpiling favorite items before or after achieving acclaim. The pieces they select for themselves often have a way of informing the work they create. That was the case at Hyke, where designers Yukiko Ode and Hideaki Yoshihara looked to their personal collections of utilitarian and all-weather items while crafting their look for Spring. With a palette of khaki, black, and olive drab, there was a military undertone informed by the stylings of vintage United States Army uniforms. “Our focus was on the ideas of the U.S. Army ECWCS (Extended Cold Weather Clothing System) parka from the 1980s and the 1951 M51 field jacket,” shared Ode postshow. “We took construction and detailing inspiration, reinterpreting these ideas into our own modern sensibility of functional beauty.”Though their starting point focused on functionality, Ode and Yoshihara began on a luxurious note with several looks featuring elongated silhouettes and precise details. Gauzy pleated skirts peeked out from beneath anoraks; obi-esque leather belts added femininity to billowing dresses; and flashes of skin gave tailored shirts some excitement. Delving into denim with a layered jacket-skirt-and-pants combo that would look right at home in Rihanna’s closet, the duo gave the Canadian tuxedo a touch of polish, and they provided The North Face with what may be the outerwear company’s most elegant collaboration to date with a section of python prints worked into sleek windbreakers. Sadly, many of the limited-edition pieces will be available only in Japan, but the sophisticated styles—all of which are completely in line with the moment’s rainwear obsession—will be well worth seeking out.
23 October 2017
Hyke designers Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode chose a small gallery space in Tokyo’s Nakameguro district to hold an installation that amounted to three intimate runway shows, set two hours apart. Models gamely entered the room from an interior staircase, striding down the steps in black wedge heels, some outwardly lined with yellowed fleece. The collection was well-executed minimalism, filled with tailored basics in a neutral palette—camel capes and suit jackets, sleek black belted coats. Marbled gray tunic dresses over matching pants fell loose against the body, while neat leather backpacks came embellished with top handles and bows. Rich fabrics like fur, leather, wool, and shearling dominated, often beautifully matched for textural contrast; head-to-toe cocoa brown leather, topped with a matching fur neck warmer, stood out in the mix.
30 March 2017