Junya Watanabe Man A/W 2017

Mood board: Hip hop beats blared from a tower of speakers slap-bang in the middle of the catwalk. Clothes had a youthful, urban swagger. Models wore roomier denim jeans – an ongoing collaboration with Levi’s – as street and work-wear fused. Jackets were hybrids of classic men’s outerwear. A hunting jacket in tweed had padded leather arm patches like a faithful biker; a Lower East Side mood prevailed as Carhartt’s classic Duck Chore Blanket-Lined Coat paraded varsity sleeves. It was refreshed in its form and recognisable in its function.
Scene setting: The show was held on the Electric Bridge, which overlooks a section of the Boulevard Périphérique – a major ring road that curls around central Paris. As heavy morning traffic flew past the window and as the winter sun streamed in, the room was transported to a New York street somewhere between the Bowery and the East River. The collection felt distinctly American in its sensibility and attitude.
Best in show: The season marks Watanabe’s most involved collaboration with American outdoor giant The North Face. In 2013, the two released a capsule collection of classic trench coats and chore jackets manufactured using The North Face’s technical expertise. The pieces for A/W 2017 were more substantial. Sections from the brand’s classic duffel bag in water-resistant Base Camp material were engineered into a series of casual jackets.
Junya Watanabe Man A/W 2017
London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
-
Achille Salvagni shares his favourite travel destinations
We asked Italian designer Achille Salvagni for his top travel picks to inspire us for summer 2023
By Achille Salvagni • Published
-
Does the vampire facial work? We make a blood sacrifice to find out
Dr Barbara Sturm’s infamous vampire facial is an anti-ageing treatment that uses your own blood. Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary gives it a shot
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
The finest brutalist architecture in London and beyond
For some of the world's finest brutalist architecture in London and beyond, scroll below. Can’t get enough of brutalism? Neither can we.
By Jonathan Bell • Published