CDG's Young Punk Designer Makes Surprisingly Delicate Clothes
Given his signature mohawk, Kei Ninomiya is a designer of remarkable delicacy. His eponymous COMME des GARÇONS womenswear line is defined by exquisite, exaggerated artfulness epitomized by laser-cut leather jackets and baroque ruffled skirts cut from CDG's preferred polyester. This is not fashion for the layman but who cares? The critics love it.
And Ninomiya's first-ever menswear collection will not disappoint the heads. On June 17, during one of Pitti Uomo's few catwalks, the austerity of Ninomiya eponymous imprint was distilled into something deliciously digestible.
The collection, to be clear, was not a diversion from Ninomiya's mainline but an extension of the DSM Kei Ninomiya line created for Dover Street Market retailers, intended to be an approachable but elevated wardrobe defined by the codes of COMME.
Ninomiya did his alma matter proud, producing far more advanced fare than his initial DSM while paying homage to the punkishness preferred by Ninomiya's mentor, Rei Kawakubo. Leather perfecto jackets, schoolgirl skirts, shredded sweaters, and some truly excellent studded belts delivered expected edge, unexpectedly softened by a couple key components.
Pablo Kümin's sublime floral-tipped hair rendered the models' liberty spikes and messy shags transcendent, transforming aggro quaffs into quite literal art that riffed on archetypal Sex Pistols 'dos.
And, on foot, Ninomiya's first Vans collaboration, created with the upscale OTW By Vans label, manifests as Slip-On sneakers patterned with plants and that ageless Vans checkerboard. The OG punk shoes, rendered plush by pretty flowers.
(Ninomiya previously partnered with Reebok for floral footwear but, since this is DSM By Kei Ninomiya, all bets are off.)
Either way, it's another feather in Pitti Uomo's cap. Snagging Ninomiya's first-ever menswear runway is a certifiable coup, especially having just hosted one of the best trifectas of featured designers in recent fashion week history. Exciting stuff, especially in a field all but inurred to the ordinary. And we're all so tired of ordinary menswear.
It's some small boon that designers like Kei Ninomiya can be counted on to give us some merciful newness.
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