Yoshio Kubo Men’s Spring 2021
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Yoshio Kubo’s elegant collection this season stemmed from his ongoing interest in historic Japanese culture and costumes.
For spring, classical ninja attire met modern-day men’s wear. Kubo delved into Hokusai’s books to find which color clothing ninjas wore hundreds of years ago: Beige, it turns out.
“My colors are based on real kimonos,” he said, describing the silhouettes as oversized for the tops and smaller for the bottoms.
Kubo worked with fine wools in mostly muted colors and phoenix imagery taken from an ancient kimono pattern.
The mash-up’s result was modern. Teal-colored, hooded technical outerwear crossed the body like a kimono. A roomy printed shirt in navy, gray pink and white, with two pockets, came paired with black drawstring trousers.
For his presentation video, Kubo searched for a traditional Japanese setting and opted for a Noh theater, where performances of classic dance-drama take place with stylized costumes, and performers cover their faces with masks.
“I thought it was interesting and super beautiful,” he said of the tradition.
So he staged a small fashion show (with no audience), in a Noh theater located in the third basement of Tokyo’s Ginza Six department store. “I always look for something people don’t know,” Kubo noted.
Launch Gallery: Yoshio Kubo Men's Spring 2021
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