Backstage at Maison Mihara Yasuhiro
There have been a few designers changing lanes in the last couple of seasons, and the wave of new elegance and technical minimalism has officially hit land. Mihara Yasuhiro is clearly not a creative director that feels the need to swerve and we should admire a designer that sticks to his guns.
As we watch the rehearsals for the imminent show, Mihara’s playful vintage Americana mashup aesthetic, oversized hardware and layers of reconstruction which have been often copied but never bettered, come to life under the sun drenched upper floor space at the Palais de Tokyo. And while Mihara isn’t changing lanes he is somewhat uneasy about the pace and digital saturation of our modern life.
“We live in a distorted daily life and I am struggling with this distortion.
It’s not “normal”, in a way its abnormal..”
The runway is flanked down one side by local art students who sit behind easels and will be interpreting each look with freehand sketches. Mihara explains this as another nod to his concerns regarding the pace of our intake of digital content. And he chooses to illustrate these concerns via highlighting the contrast between modern phone images and human made art. Something that should exist and be enjoyed in real time, not the cloud.
Mihara’s patterns are always a joy to behold and his ideas for deconstruction are his true worth. Seen here in the form of Blousons and shirts that have been reconstructed by dismantling docking trousers and overalls that are consisted separate items on the right and left. His signature double form details such as repeated neck lines and denim waist yokes are all present and correct. While military style helmet or coach bags are reworked to form the reverse of key outerwear styles.
These layers of informality set against cut up modern logos when explained, highlight Mihara at his most philosophical but also his most playful. And while many are focusing on more minimal ways to convey their ideas or concerns, Mihara’s established brands codes are there to make a point and they are not going anywhere soon.
Exclusive Photography via Maison Mihara Yasuhiro
Words Graeme Gaughan