Sulvam Paris (Q9239)
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- Sulvam Paris
- SULVAM PARIS
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Sulvam Paris |
No description defined |
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Statements
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.
6 September 2024
Sulvam’s Teppei Fujita said his Spring presentation represented an academic setting, pointing to two mature models as teacher types among a class of coed students. Staggered throughout the tableaux vivant were large glass hookahs. What kind of school was this, really? “This is the school I wanted to go to,” he said with a smile.After showings in both Milan and at Pitti, this season marks the Tokyo-based designer’s first in Paris, and it comes on the heels of being a finalist for the LVMH Prize. Deliberately, it would seem, his characters never assimilate with their location; they remain a band of insouciant outsiders. “Sulvam seeks freedom and genderlessness,” noted the inspiration text. Or more accurately, gender inclusivity, since, as another first, he proposed a number of dedicated women’s looks. Previously, girls could borrow a blouson or oversize patterned sweater from the guys; now, their options increase with pieces like lightweight camisoles and ankle-length skirts. And at the other end of the spectrum were new versions of Fujita’s unstructured suiting—ties et al. “So much fashion has gone to the street; when I think of fashion, I still think of ties,” he said, noting that their connotation need not be corporate (special Nike kicks and color-coordinated Clarks confirmed as much). “I think they can actually be ageless.”Fujita develops all his own fabrics, so even when the final looks feel a little unresolved, there’s usually some point of interest in his process. His custom lace was the strongest element here, especially when shown as a standalone blouson or a lab coat–like overlay. And while gabardine wouldn’t ordinarily seem newsworthy, the fact that he had swapped out his default black (a holdover from his time alongside Yohji Yamamoto) for a lighter scheme spanning stony, sandy, and bottle-glassy made this collection stand out from his others. Needless to say, so did all those sharper hues and the studs that decorated skater-approximate pants. When it was suggested that these school characters gave off a certain Hitchcock strangeness, their style cool yet slightly twisted, Fujita needed a memory jog before realizing the reference. “Yes, this is me,” he said.
23 June 2018
Getting recognition is great, but if you rely too heavily on other people for validation and get complacent, you’re not going to get very far. That was the sentiment Sulvam designer Teppei Fujita expressed at the Tokyo Fashion Award press conference shortly before his Fall 2017 presentation. Fujita—who made this year’s LVMH short list in addition to winning the TFA in 2015—was invited to show his collection at Japanese high-end retailer United Arrows, which has recently started stocking the brand. Despite the designer’s steadfastness about making it on his own, he has no shortage of fans backing him.Still, despite the lofty expectations, Sulvam’s Fall collection justified the hype. The camo prints, candy stripes, and glittering chain-mail knits were boldly layered together, and a fine pastel pink sweater was a confident touch that paid off, as was the unhidden pattern work. A pattern cutter by trade (Fujita learned the ropes at Yohji Yamamoto before starting Sulvam), he left little clues of his technical background throughout the lineup, like open seams, white overlocking over black pinstripes, and a safety pin holding together the front of a silk blouse or left fastened to a black necktie. Speaking about the rough-hewn, deconstructed hems, Fujita said, “Once I make the pattern perfectly, then I begin to destroy it. A designer must be able to make perfect things first, then you can play with it.”Self-referential ribbons embossed withSulvamstreamed from waistlines, were tied choker-like around the neck, or flew freely from sneakers to resemble undone shoelaces. One might also imagine them tying up a Sulvam boutique shopping bag in a few years’ time. And although adulation can be intoxicating, Fujita should enjoy it: The applause and whoops heard when the designer came out for his bow are rare at Tokyo fashion shows.
27 March 2017