What can you say about Junya Watanabe that hasn’t already been said? Theman’s a genius, as the spring 2012 collection goes to show. Someone called it “gentleman-farmer by way of Tokyo and Williamsburg” and it’s a rather apt description. As always with Junya, there’s a utilitarian starting point which then spirals off into a world only he inhabits. In this case it’s barn jackets, overalls, waxed jackets and the like, all brushed over with bright colours and plaid patching.
Watanabe has always excelled at transforming the most basic industrially produced garments into highly desirable fashion items, and here it’s no different. Having already worked with the likes of Levi’s and Dickies in the past, he’s nostranger to such hardwearing workwear. Nonetheless, his greatest strength has always been his eye for colour, and here he once again shows there’s simply none better.
The origins of the spring 2012 collection may be basic but the clothes themselves are nothing less than luxurious – not that we’d expect anything less.