Hang it on your wall, wear it to the beach: inside Jordan Gogos & Akira Isogawa's new capsule collection
Art doesn't come much more wearable than this. We chat to designer Jordan Gogos about his second body of work with Akira, which was unveiled in Melbourne this week.
OF ALL THE ADJECTIVES I could use to describe the aesthetic of Jordan Gogosâ eponymous brand, âtameâ would not be one of them. If youâre familiar with the young designerâs larger-than-life runway shows, which have generated the most buzz at recent Australian Fashion Weeks, youâll know he doesnât do things by halves. Yet when he first approached the Akira Isogawa about working together, it was on the premise that they would do âa very tame collaboration, around five piecesâ.
Of course, that was never going to happen. After meeting up, the pair decided to work on a runway show together, which was such a good experience, they concluded their partnership couldnât just be a one-off. But this time, they wanted to do something slightly different. Something that wasnât restricted to the realm of fashion. And over time, that something became collectible capsule collection.
âThere are so many âclothesâ in the world, and I donât think either of us felt this capsule should fit among that, but rather be positioned amongst collectibles,â Gogos explains to me. âWe wanted to make a DIY collection, almost like we give cut pattern pieces to the wearer and then let them make itâa little bit like IKEA but without direct instructions. We wanted to involve the wearer in the making process.â
The capsule consists of only 10 pieces, and each is crafted from deadstock fabric sourced directly from Akiraâs own archive. If you’re not familiar with the Japanese-Australian designer’s legacy, it’s one of the most decorated in Australian fashion history.
âHis ability to manipulate fabric is infinite, ideas boundless and impact unprecedented,â offers Gogos. âIn a very white Australia, Akira rose to the top of the fashion world by remixing Japanese art [and] it was at the forefront mainstream Australian media. I mean, all of a sudden, wealthy people were picking up Kimono fabrics as opposed to beige linens.â During the 1990s and early aughts, this was pretty radical. âHis clothes are passed down generationally. They are and continue to be family heirlooms and treasured possessions,â adds Gogos.
Itâs trueâan Akira dress is not the kind of dress you get rid of after a year or so. It is a purchase you can truthfully justify with an âIâll have this forever,â and even if youâre not wearing it every day, youâll keep it in your wardrobe for when youâre ready to slip into it again, or share with a loved one. And thatâs exactly the mentality these two designers have approached their first capsule collection with.
Each piece is, ostensibly, a square of Akiraâs archival fabric (“Itâs barely deadstock. [His archive] would actually do very well being its own fabric store,â remarks Gogos), but they are designed to be worn in multiple different ways. âOne of the styles has a drawstring around the edge, and [it’s] cut through the middle with a draw string,â explains Gogos. âWe have styled it as a dress, skirt, bag, and poncho. Itâs infinite.â He adds that each piece has something special about it, like beading, embroidery or a one-off screen print, so that whoever purchases it doesnât just have something stunning to wear to their next eventâthey have a piece of the Gogos x Akira DNA. Perhaps they donât even intend to wear it at all; being a square, these one-of-a-kind pieces double as artworks, and you can rest assured that zeitgeisty art collectors will be snapping them up for precisely this purpose.
âI always think about pieces being hidden in a cupboard when not being worn. As consumers, we definitely flux between loving fashion and being totally anti-fashion and I think making something a little bit in-between felt right,â Gogos gesticulates.
It makes sense that Akira and Gogos have found a sense of kinship. Akiraâs ability to bring Eastern influences into what was (and still is) a very Western fashion climate was trailblazing, meanwhile, Gogosâ embrace of community, his spirit of inclusivity and his willingness to prod and challenge the status quo make him one of the most disruptive young designers of our time.
This photoshoot is a great example of his expansive approach to fashion and imagery. âI like to style guys in my work because it completely deconstructs and reworks what âmasculineâ dressing is. The second you remove the idea that the piece of fabric around you is a skirt, and you think of it like wrapping a towel around your waist, the boundary is already broken,â he says.
The capsule will be unveiled at the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival this evening, with an exciting announcement regarding where it can be purchased to follow soon after. When I ask Gogos how he recommends wearing the multi-purpose pieces, his answer, while somewhat unsatisfying, taps into the intent of the collection.
âThe second you recommend anything, it kind of sets up your brain to think âthatâs what it must beâ. Put your arms in the holes, place it over your head, tie it around your waist and see what you come up with… but I look forward to wearing pieces over shirts, jeans or swimmers, to give basics new life.”
Models: Blaze Lowry and Max Tate at Priscillas Model Management.
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