Since showing at Central Saint Martin’s graduate fashion show in 2010, Yusuke Maegawa has been widely considered in fashion circles as one-to-watch. The designer’s graduate collection used pleats, bows and ruffles to create bold shapes and dramatic silhouettes. Long in need of an overhaul, Maegawa has given bows and ruffles a new level of cool. Using fabrics almost entirely in black the designer created contrast with striking combinations of textures and fabrics – the roughness of towel, cotton and boiled wool were used against the shiny smoothness of synthetic fabrics.
Maegawa admires and is inspired by the innovation of Japanese textile makers, which allow him to work with pleats and other design aspects that would not be possible with non-synthetic fabrics. He’s also influenced by 80s Japanese street style, which is evident in his following collections.
His AW2011 designs aimed to bring many of the same silhouettes and shapes to women as those offered in his AW 2010 graduate collection, but in more wearable forms and using more practical and sophisticated fabrics. Still, the collection has it’s own distinct identity. There is a kimono-esque look to many of the pieces where rough-edged, juxtaposed fabrics, such as bleached denim and Neoprene-bonded fabric wrap around the chest where a Kimono’s Obi would naturally sit. Splashes of colour are introduced and, more notably and to greater effect; asymmetric patchwork, exposed seams and frayed edges which we again see in his most recent collection.
Maegawa’s SS 2012 collection is a refinement of the previous collection’s best features combined with no shortage of fresh ideas and designs. While the trademark contrast of textures and shapes is again a highlight of the designs, the forms have a softer edge. There is a complete change in direction to a light colour palette with ethereal tones – whites and neutral colours with silver detailing, shades of blue and barely-there pink pastels. Maegawa continues to be inspired by his love of innovative Japanese fabrics. Ruffles, pleats and bows still feature but this time beautifully tailored jackets, delightfully feminine details, such as silk prints, delicate embroidery and other embellishments take centre stage. Surprising and fun accessories of clear plastic such as the bracelets with metal spikes and 5-inch waist belts give a nod to the Japanese street fashion that serves as much of Maegawa’s inspiration. I love the white bandage-like arm pieces, which finish in a cuff with bows, reminiscent of a long glove with a wrist corsage.
The beautifully tailored jackets and dresses, and the fabrics and colours ideal for summer make the SS 2012 collection far more wearable than the designer’s previous collections which will perhaps bring him commercial success. It is however a no less interesting collection and his work continues to showcase his ingenuity and creativity. It is sure to capture a new level of interest in the emerging designer.
By Jacqui Loadman
Credits:Autumn Winter 2010 St Martin’s College Graduate Collection, Yusuke Maegawa Autumn Winter 2011, Yusuke Maegawa Spring Summer 2012