The show opened with a black goat leather ensemble, pairing shorts with a long jacket executed in a distinctive mesh macramé. Conventionally used to weave bags, the technique was reportedly adopted out of Kawakami’s admiration for the handiwork of Indian craftspeople. This respect toward craftwork served as a poignant storyline throughout the collection.

Of course, no SEVEN BY SEVEN collection would be complete without an ample dose of check patterns. This season, madras coats and shirts highlighted a handspun and woven Indian cloth called Khadi. Incorporating leftover yarns in a random fashion, the labor-intensive textile yields an inherently asymmetric pattern which became a distinctive tribute to Indian textile traditions. Other standout pieces included jackets and shorts made from deconstructed jeans, as well as patchwork coats and blousons crafted piecemeal from flannel shirts that showcased the skill of the brand’s seamspeople.

Walking the streets of mid-1990s San Francisco, Kawakami discovered that “fashion is identity.” Judging from his S/S 2024 collection, it seems the Bay Area still has new revelations to offer, nearly two decades out.