>> Let’s say Ryu from Street Fighter was having a chill day at home – no training, no trying to defeat his mortal enemy Akuma and no wearing of the karate gi. Then Korean label R. Shemiste’s S/S 16 collection, presented a few months ago as part of Seoul Fashion Week, would provide a suitable off-duty uniform. Ditto goes for any female cohorts training with said fighter, given that the collection itself, a few skirts and slip dresses aside, is largely unisex.
Katsushika Hokusai’s famous Under the Wave Off Kanagawa is a central motif in the collection, but more than just using the surface of the wave as mere decoration, it’s the East-West dialogue of Hokusai’s work that struck me as interesting. Hokusai, was inspired by late 18th century Dutch and French engravings in his work and was considered an artist going against the grain of tradition, breaking the ukiyo-e (Japanese woodcut) mould of depicting actors and courtesans, with his expansive landscapes. Hokusai’s work would later reverberate in the West, planting seeds of Impressionism, and more directly Art Nouveau, with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec making graphic design and print making his primary forte.
That same to-and-fro relationship is reflected in the collection where Hokusai’s wave is a picture postcard pinned on the back of Western-derived tailoring or on American-originated denim jackets. The featured souvenir jackets are also another result of East-West relations, as in post-war Japan, US servicemen took their tanker and flight shirts to the local tailor to be embroidered with maps, animals and emblems of Japan. R. Shemiste’s versions are emblazoned with koi carp and pearls. Dragons that resemble irezumi body art designs are embroidered onto sleeves , leaving the threads to fray freely and when combined with metal rings cuffed on to jacket lapels, gives you a different twist on tats and piercings – both bodily signs of teenage rebellion.
It’s perhaps yet another strand of fashion-led Japonaiserie but under this youth-fuelled Korean label, the nuances are well observed.
Love this collection, the sleeves are perfect! Though the pierced caps’es remind me an awful lot of my graduation piece from this spring 😮
I love this collection! Especially those sukajan 😀
Big Dreamer
The clothes are nice, they’re not my style all of them, I’d say only a few, but they’re nice. One word about the male models, they look like zombies, as you said, street fighters but from another world.
amazing
xxx
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The fishy bombers look so good!!!
i love it , its so inspiring for my new collection
thanks
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The black hat is so cool.Missydress.ca
I was quite surprised to see several tartan elements in this collection – I wonder what inspired that? Is it a Scottish reference or more a reference to Americans of Scottish and Irish descent (going by what you write)? Anyway, very intriguing collection and great pictures.
Thank you for sharing, I think it’s and incredible collection. I like how you always link events or history with fashion. It explains again that fashion is very dynamic and made by humans with their different perception and opinion about the world.
アルスィミスト for those who wonder is the Korean take on R.shemiste written in Japanese Katakana which in Roman becomes arusimisuto
I’m not sure if I’m entirely convinced on this collection… it looks like a not-so-subtle amalgamation of different contemporary influences: jw anderson’s elongated french cuffs from his spring 15 womenswear, lv men’s take on the silk tourist bomber jacket down to the same stripped piping detail, siki im’s fall 15 thread-frayed embroidery motif, siki im’s spring 2016 styling with similar belt adornments and trinkets and denim silhouettes as well as the influence of vetements.
i’m not saying a collection has to be made up of totally new, never before seen ideas and visual aesthetics, but this collection seems like a rehash of recent trends and ideas plucked from vogue.com and simply mixed together without any strong development.
that said, i am an avid reader of your blog and i really enjoy your thoughts on the collections, behind-the-scenes and your other adventures. your in-depth writings and focus on the concept/ideas, particular products/designs and the micro-aspects (in contrast to the more macro/overal point-of-view and the business side) of fashion differentiates you from many others.
The collection is so nice and those sleeves are just awesome
But the cap and makeup makes the models look a bit scary, maybe it’s the best combination for the clothes
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