LW - C & PHIGVEL MAKERS CO. COLLECTION
LW – C and PHIGVEL MAKERS CO. release its first-ever collaboration, a comprehensive capsule of eight FW-ready garments—from cashmere knits, canvas jackets, cotton shirting, to calf leather boots—presented entirely in shades of black. The mixture of expert, locally-made Japanese wovens and all-USA cotton knits and jersey balance classic and contemporary, fashion and ordinary, into uncommon examples of sportswear form.
The last generation of brand collaborations has seen the genre turn into releases of mere decoration or ornament, a trend that Hideki Tohno, Phigvel’s founder, eschewed for twenty years, deciding to explore the process only with the prospect of working more deeply with LW – C’s Phillip Proyce, whom Tohno-san has mentored for the better part of a decade. Their production-first practices, grounded in a shared veneration for careful, expert production by local factories, led both to find in each other’s processes the opportunity to substantively expand their designs outside of their respective wheelhouses.
The LW – C team spent a week in Phigvel’s headquarters in Tokyo exploring fabrics and silhouettes, with the collection taking shape through the natural, enthusiastic dialogue about textiles and their varied histories. With Phigvel’s extensive archive of vintage garments and their rich historical knowledge serving as their inspiration, the collection’s styles were chosen almost solely on each designer’s mutual excitement and interest rather than trend or fashion, developing an intuitive, interdependent design process.
The organic development resulted in a cohesive statement about the essence of form, enabling each brand to experiment with fabrics and shapes not yet explored: Phigvel's expertise in woven textiles found uncommon application in LW - C's sportswear shapes. The precise elegance of Phigvel’s fabrics and tailoring refined zip-ups and crewneck sweatshirts that balance both formal and casual occasions without pretension. Together they extend the brands’ austere reinterpretations shorn of nostalgia and myth, resulting in timelessly wearable clothing.
The Hooded Sporting Blouson uses a smooth duck canvas brushed finely to produce a suede-like hand, lending a reserved, almost formal appearance to a rugged jacket, whose relaxed shoulder and cropped body form a laid back, contemporary fit. The same fabric softens the rigid drape of the Aviator Trousers, whose wide-straight top block gently tapers below the knee. Snaps at the hem of the pants reference its namesake, and allow the leg further narrowing. The Cashmere Bottleneck Cardigan and wool-cashmere knits borrow both from LW - C and Phigvels' patterns with luxe, louche styles that appeal to elevated, everyday wear.
