Hello.
I'm Nakayama from CASANOVA&CO.
This time, I'd like to talk about the IRENISA 2025SS season collection, which I also mentioned on the blog.
I always look forward to each season so much, and every time, it leaves me amazed.
The theme for the 2025SS season is "Variable Void".
These are the two messages from IRENISA.
I would be delighted if you would read them again and again and fully grasp their meaning.
I also read them many, many times.
And I reread them again after the IRENISA clothes for this season arrived and I saw them in person.
The designers Abe and Kobayashi refer to themselves as "costume sculptors".
I believe these are words that come from two people who have careers as pattern makers and possess high levels of skill.
However, I think they are "costume sculptors" because there's more to it than that.
Pattern making is one of the super important processes in making clothes, directly connected to the sculpture of garments.
This season, the two designers, inspired by the works of Lucio Fontana mentioned in their message, focused on what they could embed and express in the "space" between the skin and the clothing.
Within that space lies the internal emotional changes of a person.
And they are likely also focusing on the atmosphere that a person emanates as their emotions change and become variable.
By wearing the clothes, they bring out the hidden sense, passion, sensibility, and uniqueness that a person possesses.
They are "costume sculptors" because they aim to sculpt the wearer's inner self into an atmosphere through the form of clothing.
I felt that this season's fabrics, using delicate techniques, possessed both tension and individuality.
As someone who wears IRENISA clothes almost every day, I've learned from them that fashion is precisely the expression of one's inherent individuality and sense, without artifice, through the clothes one wears.
That's why wearing IRENISA clothes is both calming and essential for me to be myself.
Clothes are self-expression.
I agree with this idea.
And sometimes, clothes can also provide insights.
That's what I think.
IRENISA clothes, I believe, are garments that can draw out a wearer's hidden feelings and concealed sensibilities, and they offer the comfort of being able to embody those hidden senses.
Of course, they also provide high-quality physical comfort, with textures suitable for the season and excellent functionality.
However, what I think truly sets IRENISA's clothing apart is the comfort of being able to embody a sensation.
As IRENISA's words suggest, it's truly remarkable that designers Abe and Kobayashi aim to create such clothes and bring them to life.
When I said "the comfort of embodying a sensation," I mean I see these clothes as companions that support me and push me forward.
Because, after all, they are clothes that affirm who you are.
When changing into a business suit versus changing into special clothes, I believe the latter overwhelmingly allows one to feel more like oneself, more positive, more comfortable, and more confident.
Because that's how it was for me.
However, even if you express yourself, someone else will judge it.
Therefore, adjusting to conceal or hint at feelings is essential.
IRENISA excels at shaping this exquisite balance through its clothing.
They create clothes that exist in an extremely ambiguous and strict realm, defying categorization.
What IRENISA has consistently achieved throughout its seasons in this extremely ambiguous and strict approach to clothing design is this:
Creating fabrics that blur the boundaries between "artificial" and "natural."
These are original fabrics imbued with "natural forms" and "human craftsmanship."
Now, let me introduce some of this season's fabrics.
I believe this lineup, reflecting this season's theme of "Variable Void" and its sense of tension and individuality, truly shines.
First, let's start with...
This tuxedo cloth fabric is used in IRENISA's iconic suits, made from mohair-blend wool.
Those who have been following IRENISA's collections in previous seasons will likely recognize it immediately.
This year, it's available in burgundy and a rare black for the brand.
The characteristics of this fabric are:
・A dry texture and subtle, deep unevenness unique to super strong twisted yarn.
・A distinctive crispness and drape, balancing the suppleness of wool with the strength of the twisted yarn.
・Delicate vertical streaks visible on the fabric surface.
・Elegance derived from the interplay of light and shadow, rather than the typical luster of wool.
The subtle vertical streaks appearing on the super clean fabric surface secretly bring out its individuality.
I think the fact that it appears as a solid color from a distance is also a testament to IRENISA's characteristic delicate touch.
Instead of the typical luster of wool, it possesses an unadorned elegance where the interplay of light and shadow is accentuated by the drape and subtle undulations of the fabric, created by IRENISA.
When seen with the naked eye, you'll feel even more depth, and I believe first-time viewers will be captivated.
Next up is the stripe, which also caught the eye in the runway photos.
Here it is.
This is a breathable, summer-friendly fabric made of summer wool woven with Japanese paper.
When exposed to light, it looks like this.
Doesn't it look like the wind could just pass right through?
It does. Refreshingly.
You're probably curious about the striped part too, right?
So, once again.
Thin white threads run smoothly through the black.
And Japanese paper seems to be entangled and puffing out of it, doesn't it?
It's truly a fusion of "artificial" and "natural."
The very beautiful and neat surface of the fabric has Japanese paper woven into it, puffing out chaotically in all directions.
I apologize for the overly simple impression, but this fabric turned out incredibly cool.
The feel against the skin is also dry, perfect for summer, and I'm impressed by how skillfully they've utilized nylon.
The gentle crispness enhances IRENISA's advanced shaping techniques and also provides good separation from the skin.
Next up is a fabric that, among our lineup, has a distinguished feel.
It's a double-woven wool-nylon fabric with complex variations in color shades.
More pronounced vertical lines appear than in the mohair-blend wool fabric I introduced first, with complex variations in shades.
If you look very closely, both the warp and weft threads vary in thickness with gray threads, and the ratio of dark threads appearing on the surface changes in a complex way.
Simply put, double weaving is a single fabric constructed as if two layers of fabric were stacked.
So, it's like having a first layer and a second layer.
Perhaps it even utilizes that depth, as the second layer is composed solely of darker threads, which I feel creates even more profound facial expressions.
The organic expression is further emphasized by the fabric structure.
Also, double weaving gives the fabric a crispness, so the silhouette of garments made from this fabric becomes very sharp.
Therefore, an organic appearance is added to the tension, and the sharp silhouette creates a dignified impression.
And now, for the last one this time.
A perfect fabric that allows you to spend humid and hot summers refreshingly, and also possesses elegance.
The colors are beige and dark grey.
This fabric.
I really want everyone who visits our store to try it on at least once.
Because it's incredibly cool.
In March, it's probably too cold.
But that's just right for summer. Nowadays, the lingering summer heat lasts a long time, doesn't it?
This revolutionary fabric also carries IRENISA's unique mood, born from the fusion of "artificial" and "natural."
It clearly has a complex appearance, doesn't it?
This uses yarn where nylon (in contrasting colors) is wrapped around wool at the yarn stage.
By wrapping yarns of different colors, the shades appearing on the surface of the yarn become random.
When woven into fabric, it becomes even more random.
Tiny specks of the contrasting nylon yarn peek out from within.
An organic and profound expression that emerges when a craftsman turns it into yarn, and then another craftsman turns it into fabric.
It's a beautifully crafted fabric, but not overly serious.
The beauty created by refined human hands and nature are fully showcased, giving rise to this mood.
I like this feeling.
It's certainly true that each of these fabrics is quite unique.
Moreover, the artificial and natural elements are intertwined with such delicate precision that it's as if they've shaped the very space between them.
You'll surely appreciate that they are crafted to explore a realm that is both distinctive and calming, and hard to put into words.
Tomorrow, I'll introduce a lineup of clothes made from these fabrics and others I couldn't cover today.
When it comes to clothes, the designers Mr. Abe and Mr. Kobayashi lend their craftsmanship to them.
Please look forward to it.
To be continued...