It was impossible not to notice that Kunihiko Morinaga had bulked up under the black Anrealage-branded nylon jacket he wore backstage before this show. His torso had the incredible volume of an old-fashioned circus strongman. The secret to the designer’s transformation was just above the hem of his jacket: a fan with a diameter of one to five centimeters that sucked in air and gently inflated the garment.
As Morinaga explained, “air conditioning clothing” has been a thing in Japan for several years. After much trial and error, it was invented and perfected by former Sony engineer Hiroshi Ichigaya (check out the entertaining profile on nippon.com) as a new form of cooling workwear. The idea is that the constantly renewed airflow surrounding the body ensures rapid evaporation of sweat and maintenance of a bearable temperature. Enthusiastic customers from construction and other hard-working, weather-exposed industries have enabled Ichigaya’s 2004-founded company Kuchofuku to expand almost as quickly as the apparel sector when it blows up: the category it pioneered is now worth more than $140 million worth per year. sale.
Which brings us back to Anrealage. Morinaga’s first three models came in loose, flowing and opaque romper suits in white, pink and blue. When the fans (which can be controlled via the app) were started, the ultra-light nylon garments inflated – and the crowd was rightly impressed. There was still applause as more sections followed. The graphic elements of polka dot, check and houndstooth appeared on the prints as if they had been blown by the wind like autumn leaves. These were printed using an anhydrous process called Forearth, invented by another Morinaga employee, Kyocera. We saw a series of amusingly enormous steroid training jackets before Morinaga really found his own creative wind by applying an artistic agenda to Ichigaya’s pragmatic invention.
Morinaga used the inflationary pressure of the Ichigaya process to create forms that were semi-abstract, but also reminiscent of insects, flowers, birds and coral. The fabrics included things that looked like tweed, but largely adhered to the parachute lightness of nylon. These are powerfully unknown and in a banal and everyday context would be a challenge for anyone willing to scrutinize. But accompanied by Jakops’ specially composed, urgently uplifting soundtrack, it was easy to see these Anrealage pieces absolutely in their element on some playfully enhanced midsummer dancefloor. The shapes Morinaga threw were fun and fascinating. And in the sweltering proximity of the Palais de Tokyo basement room in which we watched them, the appeal of “air-conditioning clothing” technology was clear.