NYFW – Vantan Tokyo Autumn/Winter 2012 collection

Vantan Tokyo started as one of Vantan Design Institute’s incubation projects in 2009, setting a stage for the market debut of designers while still at school, as well as creating a platform for them to launch their creative career. After holding shows in Paris last year, Vantan Tokyo has now made its way to the forefront of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York, making it the first Japanese design school to participate. The show was broken down into sections by four very talented designers.

The first section was by designer Cheryl Chee and the theme was “Preservation of Me”. This collection consisted of a mix of sheer black tops with interesting, textured, beige-coloured chunky knits layered in. There were unexpected twists in the collection, such as spots of black fur sewn in the sleeves, or unexpected pops of leather added in, and skinny pants and dresses reign supreme.

Masato Miyata, the designer for Mi-S collection’s theme was “To Hide = To Show”, a collection of nine looks filled with dreamy pastels colours and unexpected dashes of black and silver. Pairing a soft airy pastel blouse with silver shorts created a very exciting look. The ankle-grazing dress pants paired with a boxy 50s-style sleeve shirt gave the overall collection a sort of menswear-inspired look that somehow brings an air of femininity to the pieces.

The third collection by designer Yuya Kubohara had the theme “Graphical Girl”. With a collection of only ten looks, it still did not fall short of surprising the crowd – pairing graphic knit skirts with the same graphic pattern leggings was an unexpected twist. The colours in this collection were somewhat scholastic, combining royal blues and deep yellows with pops of orange, all mixed in with amazing graphical prints. There were also pairings of chunky grey knit sweaters with leather shorts and leggings, and layering was key in this collection.

The fourth collection was by designer Cheung Siu Yan. The brand is called Swanzi and the theme was “Nature In Her Eyes”. The “nature” theme in this collection must have been inspired by the sea. The positioning of sea foam greens and brilliant blues against a black background was simply stunning, while the contrast of flowing dresses with structured leather jackets and capes and the draping of the garments was in-keeping with in the wave-like aesthetic Cheung Siu Yan was trying to portray.

As Ceremony by New Order blared onto the stage for the final walk through with the designers, the crowd roared with applause. These designers have created aesthetically pleasing and simply brilliant collections. They may still be in design school but we think we will be seeing more of them in the years to come.

Check out the new and impressive Autumn/Winter 2012 collection from Vantan Tokyo below, showed yesterday at The Studio, Lincoln center.

Gillian Horsley

Photos: Allison Payne