Hello.
I'm Noguchi from CASANOVA&CO.
The title ended up being quite suggestive.
"x"
This is the season theme for Daisuke Tanabe's 2026SS collection.
Mathematically, "x" represents an unknown number or variable.
Its use in everyday life, such as "20xx," might be considered an example of this.
And another meaning, "x" as the world's largest open social media platform.
Daisuke Tanabe's 2026SS collection takes the "sense of unease" in modern society, symbolized by this single letter "x," as its theme.
...Let's delve a little deeper.
To borrow Mr. Tanabe's words, it's about
「The indifference of society as a whole brought about by the amplification of unnecessary attention.」
is the theme.
...You probably don't quite understand yet, but please bear with me. (laughs)
For the 2026SS season, Mr. Tanabe drew inspiration for his collection from James Blake's song "Like the End."
For those eager readers, please close this blog for a moment, open YouTube, and watch the PV for "Like the End."
I'm sure things will gradually start to connect.
To summarize simply, the song's lyrics express a sense of alarm and lament about modern society spiraling out of control,
But doesn't it feel like the end?
Something's coming for us And maybe we're not prepared
That this might only be day one
This repeated chorus is incredibly impactful.
And for those who have watched the PV, you'll surely agree, the imagery is unsettling, to say the least.
It's a series of catchy, yet overtly unnatural images, likely generated by AI.
I don't understand the full meaning of this PV, but I felt it skillfully expressed the imbalance of the world and the ambiguity of what we pay attention to.
The ongoing war overseas should be the most serious and important news, yet I, and many others, have become desensitized to it, and it's beginning to infiltrate our "normal" lives.
In Japan, the phrase "first female prime minister" takes precedence, causing people to lose sight of the essential value and future it might bring.
Changing the subject a bit, Don Decolette's manzai act at last year's M-1 Grand Prix.
Watching it, I was thrilled in many ways.
The joke embedded in the manzai, "a day ends just by watching 'videos of old coins being cleaned' on social media," allowing for escape from a reality that should be faced.
And then, the audience at the venue bursts into laughter at that joke.
I felt that laughter was confirmation that we are indeed aware we watch "videos of old coins being cleaned" as an escape from a reality we should be facing.
Thinking, "This connects to the 'indifference of society as a whole brought about by the amplification of unnecessary attention!'" I spent a mysterious time at the end of the year, laughing at the manzai while desperately trying to articulate it in my phone's memo app, with Mr. Tanabe's face floating in my mind. But enough about that...
Let's return to the theme: "The indifference of society as a whole brought about by the amplification of unnecessary attention."
When we replace "unnecessary attention" with "attention without passion," we realize that when watching "videos of old coins being cleaned," there's a vague interest without any passion. When the video ends, there's no learning, but a mysterious sense of satisfaction.
I often experience this myself.
However, this "mysterious sense of satisfaction" brought about by "attention without passion" completely messes up our "satiety center for attention," leaving us with no resources to passionately engage with topics that genuinely deserve our focus.
The platform "x" symbolizes these phenomena, and James Blake's "Like the End" sounds a warning about the "doomsday" approaching us on day one.
There was the 25AW season, which crossed over the "Sea of Corruption" from "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" with the real "Sea of Corruption" in Ukraine, making the ongoing war a core output.
And this leads to a collection where the future of the world, and the outline of "truth" that has been obscured by society's general indifference, are symbolized by the title "x."
Well, this is just my interpretation, so Mr. Tanabe's intentions might be different, but I'm truly amazed by his extraordinary insight into society and his witty theme setting.
However, what truly surprised me this time was the "speed."
The song "Like the End" by James Blake, as far as I researched, was released in mid-November 2024.
On the other hand, Mr. Tanabe held his 26SS exhibition in early August 2025.
This means Mr. Tanabe completed the collection and unveiled it to buyers approximately nine months after first hearing James Blake's "Like the End."
I've always felt that Mr. Tanabe's quantity, breadth, and quality of input and output were on another dimension, but to be able to interpret and translate it into creative output at this speed is nothing short of superhuman.
While it's common for creators to draw inspiration from established works and cultures, Mr. Tanabe expresses his views on ongoing societal issues in real-time.
And he does so in a modern society where the pace of change has accelerated so rapidly.
However, this too might be Mr. Tanabe's irony towards modern society, where speed is prioritized over the accuracy of disseminated information.
Well, maybe I'm overthinking it.
This is my interpreted overview of Daisuke Tanabe's 2026SS collection, based on his words.
Today, I'd like to introduce one particularly incredible piece from that collection.
A profound expression of the aforementioned theme.
Its connection to supporting cultural backgrounds.
An unprecedented manufacturing method.
And, simply put, a cool leather jacket.
Daisuke Tanabe
neo
color _ chrome
size _ 2
This one piece.
Every season, Mr. Tanabe's collection includes leather items, and I'm sure he prides himself on this being one of his strong points. But this season's "neo" is quite outrageous.
There are so many incredible aspects that I don't know where to start, but first, let's talk about the film that inspired this piece.
The inspiration came from the film "The Zone of Interest."
A simple synopsis is that it's a story set in Poland during World War II, depicting the family of an Auschwitz commandant living next to the concentration camp.
Despite the mass killings happening right next door due to the war, they lead a very affluent and leisurely life.
I felt that this vividly portrayed the "indifference of society as a whole" that Daisuke Tanabe described through his collection.
And Mr. Tanabe says that a scene from this movie was the inspiration for this leather jacket.
In the film, there's a scene where a young maid working at the commandant's mansion secretly delivers food like apples to the concentration camp at night.
In that scene, shot with a thermal camera, the girl appears faintly white.
Mr. Tanabe, captivated by this distinctive visual expression, used it as inspiration to develop the leather material.
This leather.
You can see that the seams are faintly glowing.
This leather, developed by a tannery in Tuscany, is made by dyeing goat leather silver, then applying black pigment, and finally scraping off the surface pigment layer to create a subtle silver highlight.
A leather jacket with a faint sheen, like the figure of the girl glowing white in the darkness.
In the wearing photos that will be posted later, you'll see how significantly the presence of silver peeking out from beneath the black contributes to its look.
It has an unprecedented aura.
I think it's a completely new expression of leather.
There are still many incredible features.
This leather jacket is reversible.
You might wonder what a reversible leather jacket is, but it's really well-made when you see it in person.
The reverse side uses Ventile fabric.
The Ventile fabric we featured in the 25AW season was L28, the thickest in Ventile's history, but the Ventile used this time is L35, the "thinnest in Ventile's history."
L28 is the most expensive Ventile, and this L35 is apparently the second most expensive.
Since it's reversible with L35, if it starts raining, you can just flip it inside out and wear it as a Ventile jacket, no problem.
It's a super luxurious and practical reversible piece, isn't it?
At the exhibition, Mr. Tanabe said, "I want to wear this to Fuji Rock." (laughs)
I thought it would be too hot, though. (laughs)
The zipper is a reversible waterproof zipper, so there are no oversights there either.
And this is also a very important point this season.
The hood.
But it's not just any hood.
When you put it on, you'll understand its unusual shape.
A hood with two pointed parts on top of the head, as if horns have grown.
This references the "Sojuro Zukin" from Kurama Tengu.
The figure of Kurama Tengu in pre-war hit novels and films was apparently an idolized hero for children at the time, existing as a "hero of justice who concealed his identity."
So, it's a hood motif based on the Sojuro Zukin used to conceal his identity.
The intricately cut hood features a structure with large box pleats on both sides of the head, extending from the temples to the crown.
This is what creates the "Sojuro Zukin"-like silhouette.
The appearance and spirit of Kurama Tengu wearing this "Sojuro Zukin" also resonate with the collection's theme of "x."
A loop-back zip-up hoodie featuring this "Kurama Tengu hood" also arrived, and it's also incredibly excellent.
It arrived after 4 PM today, so I haven't had a chance to take many photos, but I'll introduce it on Instagram and other platforms tomorrow.
I was even moved by the fact that such a cool jacket could be created with leather nobody has seen before and in a shape nobody has seen before.
Daisuke Tanabe is incredible, Neo is incredible.
It's a super original piece of clothing, and I think it's very meaningful that there's a strong social context behind its coolness. I love that kind of thing.
Daisuke Tanabe, who brings together diverse inspirations from genres beyond fashion into a single output.
Mr. Tanabe himself says that it's only when he finishes creating a season and puts it into words that he first sees the connections in his inspirations, feeling like he's unraveling a mystery.
It's true that not all "foreshadowing" is laid out in advance, but the fact that it all comes together is precisely Mr. Tanabe's brilliance and the fascinating aspect of Daisuke Tanabe's work.
However, these are ultimately just "foreshadowing," and I believe the greatest charm of the clothing is its powerful presence.
After all, they are meant to be worn.
Mr. Tanabe, who is constantly changing through a continuous cycle of input and output, is probably no longer the same Mr. Tanabe who created the 2026SS collection.
However, when I see him absorb all personal and societal changes and incorporate them into the lifeblood of his brand, I feel that it is a very substantial collection brand.
I hope you'll use Daisuke Tanabe's clothes to engage in a dialogue with society and with your own existence within it.
But well, since they're just really cool clothes, please just enjoy wearing them first.
I hope you'll take a look.