Tokyo James (Q9349)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Tokyo James is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Tokyo James |
Tokyo James is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
The Leaning Tower of Pisa featured on Iniye Tokyo James’s invitation for today’s show, which was apt. “The collection’s called Imperfection,” he said backstage. “Life is not perfect. So why should clothes be perfect? It touches on the ups and downs we all go through every day.”This twist, once known, placed the onlooker in a fun predicament. James said he’d inserted multiple imperfections in his garments and presentation more broadly: So would we spot them? The sunburn makeup was a straightforward starter. The beaded skirt with two skew-whiff beads and the haphazardly stitched seaming on denim, leather, and jersey were so wrong they were clearly right. Uneven hems were purposefully imperfect gems. But what about the right shoe in Look 7: Was its refusal to stay securely afoot an accident designed or spontaneous? And were the minidresses cut so high at the back really meant to show quite so much cheek?Consistent with his imperfect theme was the fact that 90% of the materials in this collection were, James said, upcycled deadstock from sources in Benin, Nigeria, the UK, and Italy. An unlined black blazer and shorts that transitioned halfway down their lengths into thickly intertwined woven strips had to be prototyped four times, James added, before they were perfected in the factory. The belt they were worn with was decidedly wrong.
19 September 2024
The aim of the fall 2024 collection presented by Tokyo James during Milan Fashion Week was to reshape the narrative of what people may expect to see from a designer of African heritage, based on superficial preconceptions. Instead, James wanted to propose his own story, trying to go back to his roots, to more simple and clean lines, from which he moved a little too far during previous seasons, as he said backstage. Tailoring and its manipulation became central to this collection, and the choice of showcasing in Milan was mainly related to the analogy between the strictness of the Milanese aesthetic and the simplicity of the silhouettes James wanted to explore.His African roots, seen through the globalized approach of a designer divided between London—where he was born and raised—and Lagos, were present thanks to intricate weaving, patiently hand-realized. That was used to create contrasting panels applied on the back of denim or leather trousers, or as the main material for classy monochromatic (and mono-fabric) looks, like a whole-denim ensemble. In this way, the garments could feel alive on the wearer, mainly thanks to the multifaceted textures, through which the reinterpretation of tailoring was a continuous process. There were also bouclé suits, blousons, and vests, as well as the richly decorated proposals: Denim pants, fully beaded in the front, and sumptuous gowns with low waists and delicate embroidery certainly stood out.The designer’s desire to showcase the many talents of African creatives also led him to collaborate with Nigeria-born artist Yusuff Aina, who unveiled a piece calledDomain Expansion,recalling the theme of James’s collection: the expansion that challenges prevailing stereotypes for Global South artists. That work of art was used as the epicenter around which the collection was presented.
24 February 2024
“This season, the Tokyo James man is not listening to the noise,” declared designer Tokyo James as he called from his home country of Nigeria. “I want to emphasize that not every collection is the same, and that’s intentional,” he continued, “I like to do something different every season.”Not unlike the man he had in mind while designing this spring 2024 lineup, James marches to the beat of his own drum. “I find it boring that you can predict what a brand will give you every season, I want you to be pleasantly surprised with every collection,” he explained. It’s true that James’s collections often read like different books rather than chapters within the same tome, but he makes an interesting case here. These days, consistency for the sake of strong branding means designers often make change within the boundaries of a defined, and often constrictive, aesthetic. What James is doing is applying specific design elements—zippers, shirring, texture—to build an expansive brand profile. Whether this approach will work in the long run remains to be seen, but it’s a worthwhile experiment.This time around, James split his men’s and women’s collections in favor of further compartmentalizing his storytelling. “We’ve always been a menswear brand and we dabbled into womenswear,” he said. “We’re going back to our roots and concentrating on what we are known for more.” This is not to say that he’s doing away with his women’s line altogether. James will showcase womenswear in September, he’s just giving both lines room to grow as he hones his point of view. “We understand our man, and we’re still understanding the woman,” he added.This did not mean a tighter edit for men’s. James used a variety of fabrications including pineapple leather, crepes, jerseys (bonded for stiffness and paneled into tops and pants with exposed serging), and, most distinctly, custom lace. “I think guys are being more experimental,” he said, hence the laces. What struck a chord was the nonchalant tailoring cut in colorful and quirky laces and the playful modular skirts, which connect to trousers via separating zippers. His collections may read as different books, but James manages to make clear that they’re by the same author.
14 July 2023
By the time we got backstage for this 6pm scheduled show around 6:30, Iniye Tokyo James was 100 per cent ready to go. This collection, he explained, was called Code Switch: “It’s about how we as people wear different identities to deal with different things in society. The zips, following from last season, are about how sometimes we stay mute about certain things—zip it!—and sometimes we don’t have to, and we speak up.”Leading us down his lineup, it quickly became apparent that James has entered a phase of rapid development: while his vegan leather biker core remained evident, there was innovation aplenty and much more fabric than before. Highlights included the color-mix pieces developed by his sister, Esther; coats with semi-freed upcycled rib collars that could be left loose or tied as a scarf; and triple-indigo looks fashioned from deadstock sourced in Lagos denim depositories. The upcycled patched shearling jackets—some mixed with vegan leather—and a long coat that blended crepe and boucle and was symbolically scarred by those multi-puller zippers, was another winner. James also upcycled many of the models, roping in willing friends from multiple nations to walk for him, and then coating their teeth in lipstick to interesting and unsettling effect.There was also a new foray into knitwear, South Africa made, via a two tone sweater featuring a Gothic font, lowercase TJ logo. Roomy suiting and a boxing cape displayed different Lagos locales—Ikoyi, Agege, Oshodi, Lagos Mainland—in a Lonsdale font. The collection was shod by a collaboration with Dr. Martens that saw James and his team mix white paint with soil and dust from outside their workspace and coat the uppers to create a satisfying level of distress. “I don’t like anything brand new,” said the designer. There was a new but upcycled pouched version of his Ata Rodo bag. We left backstage around 6:38.James was for sure played a hospital pass by being placed on the busiest day of Milan’s schedule: it would be great, dear Camera Della Moda, if he could be given a more amenable slot next time. However he was also done no favors at all by those running the door: it had not opened by 6:15 and by 6:40 they were still tortuously and amateurishly counting people into a half-empty showspace one by one. Come on, guys. Regretfully, at 6:45, having had the privilege of going backstage for our pre-see, we had to leave before the show had begun—but way after it should have.
25 February 2023
“I’d like to get to the point, when I’m asked about my inspiration for a collection, to feel confident in answering simply: ‘I’m driven to create clothes that people really want to wear.’” So said Iniye Tokyo James before this evening’s show of pieces you could see a fair few peoplereallywanting to put on.When rationalizing this question the first time around, a few minutes before, James had gone into a perfectly decent spiel about wanting to unify apparently opposing ideologies in clothing through harmonious collision. Given Italy’s critical imminent election, something very few designers have referred to, this was a timely position to adopt.Either of his rationales worked when you considered the refreshingly indie-spirited, goth-tinged, rock-flavored, and sex-scented collection James put out tonight. Predominantly black, with accents of green Lurex and blue broderie anglaise that was ruptured on outerwear to reveal layers of black Lurex beneath, it was tight and focused. Belts wrapped around wearers of either gender at nipple height; slouchy black bags whose grips were fashioned from vicious little whips, something cultish about them, tightened the focus further.James sprayed denim with layer after layer of black paint, graffiti style, to give his raw-edge pieces a leatherish shine. Bikers, skirts, and corsets built into tulle paneled dresses were more authentically skin-toned. In some of the ruched, off-kilter tailoring there were echoes of Vivienne Westwood’s drunken finest. Studs, grommets, and jewelry created with London start-up UWR provided fierce flashes of light. This 2022 LVMH finalist brand is a plucky and punchy label to follow, for those who prefer not to be led.
24 September 2022
“At least we don’t look like what we’ve been through!” says Tokyo James backstage at his first runway show in almost two years. The Nigerian designer is back in Milan with the support of the Camera Della Moda, bringing his slinky and scrunchy menswear with him. The idea of telegraphing beauty after a time of strain is one that resonates with James; even in the darkest hours he has the personality type to always find joy. His fall 2022 collection was a firm rebuke of sorrow, with neon oranges, yellows, and lime greens to uplift.James’s strongest garments are his tailored ones. He has established his signature shape, scrunched up in the back to mirror his popular Scotch Bonnet bags. The detail works best on his most classically structured suits, this season rendered in nubbly mohair. One, silk with mohair insets, was particularly gorgeous. Ditto for an azure coat with an embroidered frog detail. A partnership with Nike—“football is what unites us all, Nigeria, Italy, England” he said —birthed upcycled jackets and bags made from Nike sneakers and soccer cleats on the feet of most models. The upcycling continued into recycled denim separates and coats, materials pulled from Nigeria’s many deadstock markets. Worn by models with punky, gelled up hair and cartoonish sunglasses, the message for James’s men was a rebellious uniformity.As for his women, well, they are certainly sexy. James’s ability to create new structures isn’t translating as well to his womenswear right now, where backs felt skimpily low and cropped tops slightly too cropped. But maybe that’s an old school mindset. When a model came out in a low-cut black and white net dress the audience practically rose to its feet in cheers. That’s the magic only a runway show can bring—and thankfully James is back on the catwalk and here to stay.
26 February 2022
The cellular signal inside Iniye Tokyo James’s Lagos atelier isn’t so great, so he has to take his Ata Rodo bags and button-up shirts outside for a better connection. Even with the occasional moments of glitching, the conversation is one of the best of virtual Fashion Week. Rarely do I see the actual space clothing is designed in; it’s rarer still to meet the people who make it. As James stands on his porch, his colleagues act as de facto models, trying on a wrap skirt with leather trouser panels and an inset leather blazer. It’s a human moment amidst the fashionable façades our very phygital Fashion Week provides.James’s warmth and heart translate to his garments. This season he started thinking about the Osu caste system used by the Igbo people of eastern Nigeria. Osu—or outcasts—are shunned by society and looked down on; James saw them as representative of outcasts around the world. A collection that wafts through ideas of lightness and porousness was his solution; something gentler and kinder. He made use of beautiful white and pink/red lace for collar shirts, blazers, and trousers and created similarly perforated white jackets from cord. Underneath, there are James’s first boxer shorts with a bold logo tag; there is also a cheeky graphic tee that reads “Tokyo Fucking James.” It’s delivered as a saucy message of self-preservation.Suiting remains the core of James’s offering, and he has loosened up its form with his signature slash vents, ruched fronts, and a new suit-skirt inspired by traditional African wraps. The ease of his garments—friendly to a wide range of bodies—has made his menswear a favorite of female shoppers too. To prove their versatility, James cast a couple of women in the lookbook to wear cinched up skirts and a sequined and black pearl-beaded blazer that took his atelier four months to make. That piece is his most expensive of the season, but for a lower price point, shoppers of all strokes at Dover Street Market—where he was recently picked up and given a primo fourth floor placement—will gravitate towards tees inset with cord and lace. It might be a collection inspired by outcasts, but there’s something for us all within James’s world.
20 June 2021
Iniye Tokyo James is streaming from his studio in Lagos, Nigeria, where rows of sewing machines have paused and assistants are organizing rails of his fall 2021 menswear collection. With weavers, tailors, and patternmakers all working under his roof, James has the advantage of localized production—meaning the pandemic didn’t halt his ability to create. Instead, he has grown his collection to include more custom knits and woven materials, as well as expanded his accessories range with bags and groovy hats that evoke a Scotch bonnet pepper. In Yoruba, the Scotch bonnet goes by the nameata rodo—and James says he used it because it’s a staple of local diets that permeates global cuisine.His clothing is both local and global too. A dual British-Nigerian citizen, James fuses the dapper traditions of mid-century British tailoring with Nigerian weaving and exuberance. The woven raffia featured on a number of tan suits, he explains, is a nod to the prayer mats that are popular in most Lagos homes, while the combination knit and faux-leather pieces in psychedelic shades of blue, violet, and orange represent a new kind of masculinity he wants to promote: tough, but also soft.He called the collection Ogidi Okunrin—“the strong man”—to drive home the idea that masculinity doesn’t need to be all hard edges and muted colors. His studio worked to create a knit that feels as sturdy as leather for tailoring, while simultaneously creating a faux leather buttery enough to be made into slim trousers and a modern cutaway vest. Black and brown suits are spliced, as in the opening looks, and inserted with silver chains used to evoke fringe. The results are unquestionably elegant, the sort of garment men worldwide would line up to wear—and women too. With roomy-cut suits, second-skin lace-up tops, and a finale of sequin shirts and trousers, James shouldn’t be surprised if he starts getting orders from female customers who want in on his vision.
20 January 2021