New Leaders
The names Junya Watanabe and Raf Simons should ring a bell! For years both designers forged their way in their respective specialties, and although they are not new to the world of fashion, the brands are relatively new to Aloha Rag. In the past couple of seasons both brands have really reached their stride, hitting us with a fresh point of view and a cutting edge spirit. For that, we consider them the “New Leaders” in menswear available from Aloha Rag.
Junya Watanbe started his career as a designer under the Comme des Garcons umbrella. He is known for his garments that take classic workwear starting points and add playful twists and impeccable attention to detail. This season, Junya riffed off of the pieces he found utilized on peaceful farmlands and in the gardens of country homes. The hard industrial details were minimized, leaving a calm country mood throughout the collection. Overalls were one of the key elements in his runway presentation, and they perfectly corresponded with the floral, stripe, and hickory patterns in the rest of the collection. Junya is also known as an extraordinary collaborator, and this season he chose to make amazing items with Brooks Brothers, Duvetica, Levi’s and Trickers just a bit better with his unique touch.
Hailing from Belgium and heavily influenced by youth cultures/subcultures, Raf Simons has never been afraid to take risks. The sharp silhouettes and unpredictable colors are the aspects of his work that set him apart. For SS12, the boys that marched down his runway were masculine, mysterious, and rebellious. By adding dashes of bright color, floral prints, and plaids chopped up like we have never seen before, the unique cuts come together as one of his strongest collections ever. We are also excited about his recently launched 1995 line, which revisits pieces from his archive and groundbreaking 1st collection in 1995. Great news for long time fans looking for that extinct piece! It is also of note that since 2005, Simons had been the creative director of Jil Sander (another of Aloha Rag's favorite vendors), creating memorable collections for both the menswear and womenswear divisions.
With both Junya and Raf manifesting a distinctive vision of masculinity through their work, they are truly leading participants in men’s fashion design of today. Their names will be mentioned in textbooks of the future, and the clothing they created in our time will sit in museum collections for the next generations to see. Leaders…
Junya Watanbe started his career as a designer under the Comme des Garcons umbrella. He is known for his garments that take classic workwear starting points and add playful twists and impeccable attention to detail. This season, Junya riffed off of the pieces he found utilized on peaceful farmlands and in the gardens of country homes. The hard industrial details were minimized, leaving a calm country mood throughout the collection. Overalls were one of the key elements in his runway presentation, and they perfectly corresponded with the floral, stripe, and hickory patterns in the rest of the collection. Junya is also known as an extraordinary collaborator, and this season he chose to make amazing items with Brooks Brothers, Duvetica, Levi’s and Trickers just a bit better with his unique touch.
Hailing from Belgium and heavily influenced by youth cultures/subcultures, Raf Simons has never been afraid to take risks. The sharp silhouettes and unpredictable colors are the aspects of his work that set him apart. For SS12, the boys that marched down his runway were masculine, mysterious, and rebellious. By adding dashes of bright color, floral prints, and plaids chopped up like we have never seen before, the unique cuts come together as one of his strongest collections ever. We are also excited about his recently launched 1995 line, which revisits pieces from his archive and groundbreaking 1st collection in 1995. Great news for long time fans looking for that extinct piece! It is also of note that since 2005, Simons had been the creative director of Jil Sander (another of Aloha Rag's favorite vendors), creating memorable collections for both the menswear and womenswear divisions.
With both Junya and Raf manifesting a distinctive vision of masculinity through their work, they are truly leading participants in men’s fashion design of today. Their names will be mentioned in textbooks of the future, and the clothing they created in our time will sit in museum collections for the next generations to see. Leaders…
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