Anrealage, created by Kunihiko Morinaga, introduced its men's line, Anrealage Homme, for the 2024-25 Fall/Winter season. The debut show took place on March 16th (Saturday) at the Telecom Center Building in Tokyo. With "Everyday and Extraordinary" as the key theme, Morinaga, known for surprising people with conceptual fashion, presented his new vision for menswear.
The men's approach differed significantly from its women's counterpart, focusing less on incorporating cutting-edge technology into fabrics or creating innovative patterns. Morinaga explained that the men's line was conceived as a complete opposite of the women's line, with the intention to showcase it in Tokyo.
This season, drawing inspiration from the free-spirited atmosphere of the early 2000s Harajuku scene where the brand began, ANREALAGE Homme consciously integrates decorative elements. The collection kicked off with a full-buttoned setup, featuring jackets and knee-length shorts densely adorned with pink buttons. Subsequent pieces include blousons embellished with felt flowers and tweed setups decorated with gold buttons, resonating with a British check jacket adorned with numerous patches.
A collaboration with Reebok, first showcased during the Paris presentation in February, was consistent with ANREALAGE's 2024-25 Autumn-Winter collection. The iconic sneaker, Instapump Fury, is reimagined with ANREALAGE's spherical pattern, featured on jackets and triple-branded sneakers in collaboration with sneaker remaker RECOUTURE. Additionally, collaborative shoes with Foot the Coacher were also introduced."
Recalling a recent exhibition at the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum, which highlighted the role of wardrobes in warding off evil and inviting blessings in attire from various cultures, one is reminded of elements such as sound and light. People historically adorned their clothing with bells for sound and small mirrors for light reflection to ward off evil forces. Similarly, ANREALAGE Homme incorporated such decorative elements like buttons and crystals to evoke similar effects.
At the helm of Anrealage Homme is the stylist TEPPEI. He was one of the fashion icons who led the Harajuku street culture scene in the 2000s. TEPPEI personally ordered a patchwork jacket from the brand's early women's collection in men's sizes and was seen wearing it in late 2000s Harajuku.
TEPPEI has been responsible for styling since Anrealage's Tokyo show in 2018, commemorating its 15th anniversary. However, with Anrealage Homme, TEPPEI was more actively engaged in the creative process. TEPPEI explained, "The underground culture of the 1990s to 2000s has influenced people worldwide, and we are the generation that lived in Harajuku during that era. While reminiscing about that time, we are also rethinking design and styling in a new light."
Another collaboration was with the bag brand Nori Enomoto (NORI ENOMOTO) by Noriko Enomoto.
"The decorations adorning the headpieces and jackets, showcasing Nori Enomoto's expertise in curves and vibrant color usage, caught the eye. The cuteness, fantasy, and elegance of Nori Enomoto's designs are not commonly found in existing menswear, but they closely align with the world Anrealage Homme aimed to express” said Morinaga.
The random placement of pink tags on the backs, chest areas, sleeves, and other parts of all the looks is the Anrealage Homme's name tag. While the brand's color palette has traditionally been monochromatic and solid, the shift to a sweeter pink for Homme adds an unexpected and contrasting impression. In terms of symbols, while Anrealage combines uppercase 'A' and 'Z,' Homme opts for a lowercase 'a' and 'z'.
In the future, Anrealage will continue to present its women's collection in Paris and its men's collection in Tokyo. Despite being a debut show, it was a finale fitting for Tokyo Fashion Week.
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