Fujiwanna

Apologies for the serious lack of postage these past few days, mock exams have proved themselves tiresome and taxing, however-and thankfully, finite.

As often happens with myself and brand names, I was vaguely familiar with guilianoFujiwara but could not recall any trademarks or remember any looks from recent seasons, or any seasons whatsoever for that matter. My attention has been drawn to the Japanese-headed, Milan-based menswear brand thanks to a savvy Male-Mode reader who was kind enough to alert me.

A few brief moments browsing the lush site leads to speedy satiation of my daily requirement of flash-fash sites. The enveloping black, crisp white and shots of scarlet red remind me I need to make browsing of designers’ sites more regular.

And the clothes. Well, the FW 0809 collection boasts structurally austere pieces in deep blacks amongst those in brightest citrus orange. Accessories are definitely variegated and contrast beautifully; squatty ties, elongated slim belts and a compact sports bag reminiscent of space-bound capsules.

Masataka Matsumura, creative director, has also ingeniously included such a wide variety of textures and fabrics, chinchilla to sheepskin, alpaca to Plexiglas. What was intended as an artist’s exploration of the origins of “hip-hop” has yielded more than I had anticipated.