Cult Following
Tokyo
The heady subjects of primal mysticism and Japanese Shintoism have sprung up as inspiration in accessories from Hiroshi Kure and Tomoro Igarashi and in t-shirts and pillows from Ross Menuez. These three artisans are currently basking in a cult following in Tokyo, and stateside, their collections seem destined to take off in the urban jungles of Los Angeles and New York.
Shinto mysticism reveres all facets of nature, subscribing to the notion that the supreme deities reveal themselves in anything from the sun to folkloric earthly creatures. In Hiroshi Kure's work, the gods of the otherworld are personified in sinister, yet ultra-cool primal accessories. The Japan-born, New York-based industrial designer's latest collection includes a series of Neanderthal skull-adorned wooden rings which appear to have been fashioned out of beached tree bark. The same rings come in a lightweight limestone-colored resin. A heavier version comes in a smooth-looking covered silver, and a white skull metal necklace completes the eerily exquisite collection. For the fashion adventurer, keep an eye out for the soon-to-be-released sunglasses made of the same bark-like material — accessories for any stylish concrete jungle dweller. Find them exclusively at Odin New York.
Providing a lighter mood, but also in this primitive spirit, is Parsons School of Design alum Tomoko Igarashi. Igarashi's assemblage is a sweet mélange of polished igneous rocks; granites; black, beige and pink pearls; and a bit of amethyst all intertwined in a lariat of gold or silver and punctuated with large gold skull pendants. Her uses of nature's offerings are traced with just the right fashion dashes such as a gold star pendant to neutralize the ominous connotations of the skull. Elaborate versions of this eclectic artistry have sprung up as bracelets, earrings, and even a brass and precious stone Philippe Starck -meets-Rococo chandelier. Igarashi's one-off ghoulish glam jewelry has not gone unnoticed: her bracelets and earrings have been spotted on flawless style arbiter Lady Amanda Harlech. Igarashi's collection sells at Fred Segal in Los Angeles and Barneys New York.
With an established reputation as an interior accessories designer, two years ago Ross Menuez ventured into t-shirts with his company, Salvor. There's such demand for his tees in Japan that breaking out into other categories was a no-brainer. Sensing a void in the market for masculine representations of animals, he created the Fauna line. It consists of t-shirts silk-screened with bright owls and tigers across the front; similar images have found their way onto pillows of varying sizes, which also take the shape of the animals. This collection of a silk-screened menagerie is available in a limited edition at Odin New York.
Products from New York-based designers who synthesize Western design sensibilities with ancient Japanese spirituality have resulted in a voracious demand from Tokyo. But will the trajectory of this trend reverse and catch the same huge buzz stateside? It has already begun.
-Robert Cordero
JC Reporter
Tokyo
The heady subjects of primal mysticism and Japanese Shintoism have sprung up as inspiration in accessories from Hiroshi Kure and Tomoro Igarashi and in t-shirts and pillows from Ross Menuez. These three artisans are currently basking in a cult following in Tokyo, and stateside, their collections seem destined to take off in the urban jungles of Los Angeles and New York.
Shinto mysticism reveres all facets of nature, subscribing to the notion that the supreme deities reveal themselves in anything from the sun to folkloric earthly creatures. In Hiroshi Kure's work, the gods of the otherworld are personified in sinister, yet ultra-cool primal accessories. The Japan-born, New York-based industrial designer's latest collection includes a series of Neanderthal skull-adorned wooden rings which appear to have been fashioned out of beached tree bark. The same rings come in a lightweight limestone-colored resin. A heavier version comes in a smooth-looking covered silver, and a white skull metal necklace completes the eerily exquisite collection. For the fashion adventurer, keep an eye out for the soon-to-be-released sunglasses made of the same bark-like material — accessories for any stylish concrete jungle dweller. Find them exclusively at Odin New York.
Providing a lighter mood, but also in this primitive spirit, is Parsons School of Design alum Tomoko Igarashi. Igarashi's assemblage is a sweet mélange of polished igneous rocks; granites; black, beige and pink pearls; and a bit of amethyst all intertwined in a lariat of gold or silver and punctuated with large gold skull pendants. Her uses of nature's offerings are traced with just the right fashion dashes such as a gold star pendant to neutralize the ominous connotations of the skull. Elaborate versions of this eclectic artistry have sprung up as bracelets, earrings, and even a brass and precious stone Philippe Starck -meets-Rococo chandelier. Igarashi's one-off ghoulish glam jewelry has not gone unnoticed: her bracelets and earrings have been spotted on flawless style arbiter Lady Amanda Harlech. Igarashi's collection sells at Fred Segal in Los Angeles and Barneys New York.
With an established reputation as an interior accessories designer, two years ago Ross Menuez ventured into t-shirts with his company, Salvor. There's such demand for his tees in Japan that breaking out into other categories was a no-brainer. Sensing a void in the market for masculine representations of animals, he created the Fauna line. It consists of t-shirts silk-screened with bright owls and tigers across the front; similar images have found their way onto pillows of varying sizes, which also take the shape of the animals. This collection of a silk-screened menagerie is available in a limited edition at Odin New York.
Products from New York-based designers who synthesize Western design sensibilities with ancient Japanese spirituality have resulted in a voracious demand from Tokyo. But will the trajectory of this trend reverse and catch the same huge buzz stateside? It has already begun.
-Robert Cordero
JC Reporter
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