Last season, Murakami refrained from incorporating a sense of handiwork and kawaii aesthetics. On the contrary, he proposed sharp, futuristic designs that combined the tough and inorganic textures of high-gauge knitting, made possible by machine weaving. The drastic change was surprising, yet this season, he returned to the basics once again. The runway was filled with intricate clothes that can only be woven by hand.
The show started with a thick and bulky wool setup. While the audience was captivated by the knitwear’s somewhat tender appearance, reminiscent of long-worn knitwear covered with pills, the bizarre silhouette added a sense of incongruity, with a swollen lower section below the chest and exposed lining. The feeling of incongruity continued to grow. There were gathers that felt uneven and distorted; twisted, parasite-like motifs sticking out; decorative frills that seemed uncanny, rather than beautiful; deformed and drooping objects that resembled internal organs; and a top with two fabrics that mysteriously merged at the front. It was unmistakingly different to before. There was a shared sense of oddness. The collection was an unthinkable evolution from Murakami’s earlier work, filled with the sense of family bonding from the brand he founded with his mother.
The collection notes said: “I tried to discover the universality of pillings by connecting things I’d created, memories and fragments of my imagination.” This season marks the compilation of activities from the past ten seasons. It made sense. The brand had previously attempted drastic and almost self-destructive change, all in pursuit of the real essence of pillings.
The key for this season was regeneration. Everything kept inside pours out to form something completely new. This season’s pillings collection marked a moment of change.