Japan and streetwear?

As it name says Streetwear was born in the streets and was inspired by its residents and their influences. If hip-hop remains the heart of this movement, Japanese culture has also made a place for itself in the hearts and minds of streetwear wearers. Japanese artists, themselves influenced by this new wave, are developing their own brands, with innovative designs and sales techniques. In the 1990s, we find the GOODENOUGH brand of DJ Hiroshi Fujiwara. Its specificity ? All the pieces of the label are limited in number and sold at a high price in order to create a feeling of rarity and desire.

Nike is interested in the brand and is developing a collection in collaboration with the Japanese brand. Soon after, other brands were born, such as Fragment Design by Hiroshi Fujiwara, or the famous brand A Bathing Ape (BAPE) created by Fujiwara's protégé, Nigo. A real power stroke, Bape revolutionized the Japanese streetwear market with his exclusive and sharp models, with Japanese pop culture as a common thread. The carefully decorated and uniquely styled boutiques also made an impact, as the famous Parisian trendy boutique Colette later called on his services.

He and the creator of the brand Undercover Jun Takahshi, will also collaborate for an extremely limited clothing brand called A.F.F.A (Anarchy Forever Forever Anarchy). It is during from this period in Japan that the fashion of rarity and exclusivity will really take birth. During this time, fashion houses such as Comme des Garçons or like Kenzo, a French company founded by the Japanese Kenzo, are making their way into the luxury and fashion landscape. As time goes by, Japanese designers like Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto become more and more important in the fashion industry, as does the "Streetwear" movement.

American artists will start wearing pieces by Japanese designers. This is how brands such as Nike and Adidas will take a much more serious interest in these new heavyweights of fashion. New partnerships will then emerge. We can take the example of Nike's HTM creation section, which includes Tinker Hatfield, creator of legendary Nike Air Maxand designer Hiroshi Fujiwara, among others. The Undercover labelalso becomes a close partner of the Swoosh brand, even today. Iconic collaborations are thus born. As an example, the famous line of sneakers designed by Kanye West for Bape or the Y-3 creation line of Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas. The brands of the Japanese designers will also join forces with their American counterparts for unique streetwear collections. With for example: Comme des Garçons and Nike, BAPE and Adidas, etc.

SACAI, the head of Japanese streetwear culture.

This new culture of Japanese streetwear has given many heirs. One of the first and most striking is the SACAÏ brand. Founded in 1999 in Tokyo, this label is the fruit of Chitose Abe's work. The designer spent eight years with Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe to manage the design Comme des Garçons house. Very discreet, the Japanese learnt from these two illustrious designers before attempting the adventure on her own. She then created the label SACAI, inspired by the particular and heterogeneous universe of Japanese capital.

Based on the work and the composition of materials, Chitose Abe is more and more talked about within the underground scene. With her conceptual designs, specific to Japanese fashion, the fluidity of her silhouettes and the contemporary aspect of her models, SACAI will gradually make a place for herself in the fashion world. Thus the brand will parade for the first time in Paris in 2006 in front of the biggest names in the field. Consecrated by insiders, the designer opens its flagship in Tokyo in 2011. The brand will then establish itself all over the world with 90 boutiques. In 2012, SACAI is included in the official calendar of the Paris Fashion Week. Despite its popularity in the fashion industry, the label remains little known to the general public. The Japanese brand collaborates with Nike for an exceptional collection of sneakers. A collaboration that brings to the creation of Chitose Abe, a greater visibility.

SACAI X NIKE, an avant-garde and unprecedented collaboration.

Revealed during the catwalk presentation of the SS19 collection of the Japanese brand, the collaboration between Nike and SACAI created the event in the world of sneakers. After numerous partnerships with other Japanese labels, such as Undercover or Ambush the American company gives free rein to Chitose Abe's creative ideas. Playing with the brand's identity, the designer transposes the juxtaposition of materials and the contrast of reliefs to Nike's silhouettes. Several sneakers have been reworked: The classic Blazer and the sporty Waffle.

Completely revised in their design, the uppers of these silhouettes are split, giving a new and avant-garde destructured aspect. With several colours mixing red, blue and green, the first editions of these collaborations are a real success. Building on this popularity, the two brands are continuing this partnership to give other tones to the models and to develop a tennis outfit for American women players. In a period where collaborations have become regular, the associations between the American and Japanese brands remain a sure value of creativity and modernism. The Nike x Sacaï collection is a perfect example of this.