Designer Yu Amatsu combines contemporary womenswear silhouettes with the raw elegance of nature in a dual showing of the Hanae Mori by Yu Amatsu S/S 2015 collection as well as the New Hanae Mori Style special event that took place yesterday. With awards and praise for avant garde styles and pattern skills that have landed him work for major New York brands, Amatsu maintains a deep regard for Mori’s signature inspiration, the butterfly, as he works to uphold the iconic designer’s brand.
For those who are new to fashion or currently developing interests in the industry, Hanae Mori is highly honored in Japan for her career that began in the early 1950s and the awards and honors she gained during her designing years.
It is not easy to be given the reins of design as a sub-brand under the respected fashion house, but in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily regarding Amatsu’s work, Mori only had praise as she explained why Amatsu was brought in. “He’s someone who makes very simple, New York-style, wearable clothes, and he also likes butterflies,” she said. “We had been looking for a young designer, and it was very important that he had experience in New York.”
Below are a few of the designs that were shown yesterday from both shows during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Tokyo events. First, flowing fabrics of whites and blues with contemporary style folds and pleating, along with open lace details and looser cuts for Manhattan springs and summers seem ideal to what Mori was speaking of. Secondly, the special event that left viewers stunned at the beauty of Mori’s favorite insect, which was printed into a modern collection of dresses, gowns and separates.
–STORY BY MIN A. LEE
