If you’ve been in business for as long as Daisuke Obana (N.Hoolywood has just turned 25 years old), fashion will probably come back to where you are now. Asked to share what he notices on his sophisticated radar, the designer wrote: “I have observed a transformative shift in trends in the Asian market…. It feels like the mindset is shifting towards simpler, more practical items. In a way, it’s starting to become more in line with what we do.”
The usability and functionality of N.Hoolywood TPES is apparent at first glance, but nothing Obana does is exactly ‘simple’. His knowledge of military equipment is vast and each TPES season he dives deep into a specific aspect of combat/outwear gear. For the spring the focus is on mountain climbers; he and his team spent hours watching documentary footage of climbing expeditions, which determined the direction of the styling.
The casting gave a documentary aspect to the lookbook. Such body diversity is rare on the runway and in fashion images, and it was refreshing to see the clothes in action. The idea, Obana wrote, was to “underline the connection between physicality and work, I suppose, as well as the element of being multinational.”
What made the familiar silhouettes more interesting was the palette, which in addition to olive green and black, also included white and a dusty plum. There are a lot of little details to take into account, from the placement of a label to the unexpected appearance of a pocket on a sleeveless top. This offer also includes five partnerships, which are not taken lightly; they enable TPES to offer products outside their expertise that fit the theme and aesthetic of a particular collection. In collaboration with Wacoal Men, Obana and his team came up with “a groundbreaking [undergarment] design that is dimensionless, reversible (front and back) and seamless.” Military-inspired towels are made from a special bamboo-infused yarn from the Japanese company Hippopotamus; a watch strap was developed in collaboration with Tokyo-based vintage military watch specialist Curious Curio. With the American company DannerAn, Obana said, “he created a low-cut version of the military-approved ‘Tachyon’ series;” and continued an ongoing partnership with British military suppliers, ArkAir. Apparently it takes a village to climb a mountain.