Like great jazz musicians that know how to improvise on a score, Yu Kobayashi and Yuji Abe of Irenisa have a formidable knowledge of clothes making which helps them riff on the classics and create menswear that expertly toes the line between disciplined and playful.
During a walkthrough of their fall collection at their showroom in Tokyo, the designers said that this season was dedicated to honoring manual laborers and those that work with their hands to create something. They’d been particularly inspired by the work of German photographer August Sander, whose portraits of tradesmen conferred both the individual and their craft. Nods to craftspeople came through in the peacock green gloves, sweaters, and jackets that draped elegantly at the back, the shade of which was inspired by the aprons traditionally worn by leather artisans in tanneries, and in the literal apron-style vests that were slung asymmetrically over one shoulder.
The leather choker details on some of the collars were a bum note that felt flimsy and distracting, but the fabric innovations elsewhere made up for it. Beige melton wool coats and scarves were finished with a mist of white paint to create a gradient, and a coordinating black shirt and trouser set featured vertical creases of color created with a painstaking dyeing process called tatsumaki shibori (literally ‘tornado tie-dying,’ for how the fabric is twisted in the process). It was a good example of Irenisa’s own commitment to craft, and how well the designers manage to translate it into desirable clothes. The brand is considering branching out into womenswear in the near future, which feels like a natural and comfortable move forward.
Despite the duo’s design prowess, there’s a shadow of complacency creeping at Irenisa’s feet. Abe and Kobayashi’s mastery of fabric, pattern, and silhouette is not called into question, and their menswear is consistent and instantly flattering to the body; you understand this is where you slip your arms into one of their gorgeously cut coats or step into their floaty trousers. But when you trade in understatement (especially at a time when quiet luxury is loud in its ubiquity), how can you be sure the tune you’re playing will be heard? The challenge the duo has from here is to work that out.