The main event "VERSUS TOKYO" held on the last day of the "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2012 S/S", which was also open to the public, was produced by Yuichi Yoshii of THE CONTEMPORARY FIX. It was on this stage that WHIZ LIMITED, led by Hiroaki Shitano, had its first runway show, yet still expressed the qualities of a brand that had been established for over a decade.
Shitano is quick to propose unique Tokyo styles that transcend both mode and street fashion, and is fixated on creating items that he desires; in a way, he also maintains his perspective as a consumer. Shitano, who has gained a huge following, talks to us about what went on behind the scenes at the show and about the stance that the brand takes.
First, please tell us your impressions of the show last October, which was the first show for your brand.
Shitano: It started when we received an invitation from Mr. (Yuichi) Yoshii. Mr. Yoshii and I got to know each other in 2010, when he came to our exhibition for the 10th anniversary of our brand, where we announced our collection in which we had renovated our past archives. Until then, I had thought that shows were for a restricted group of people, and that small brands such as ours could not participate. However, we were able to participate after being invited by Mr. Yoshii. We were doing something that we'd never done before from scratch, so it was as though we had returned to the days where we first launched the brand. This was very refreshing.
Were there things you changed for the show, such as in the way you made the clothes or the style?
Shitano: We had already decided upon the designs when we heard about this (VERSUS TOKYO), and we wanted the show to be an extension of what we have done so far, so there were no elements that we drastically changed. I've always handled styling for catalogues and presentation images, etc., and initially I thought about being more deliberate in the presentation for the runway show. However, when I visited the venue, it was a fairly normal-looking place outdoors, so I thought that doing too much may be excessive. I decided to present our collection as we normally do, after checking the flow of the show with the person in charge of stage direction.
Please tell us the theme for your 2012 S/S collection.
Shitano: The theme is "UNITE". After 3.11, we have been seeing an increased number of demonstrations taking place in Tokyo as well, and this feeling of anger was the source of my inspiration. I incorporated my own feelings into the clothes. In general, I perceive clothes as clothes, and I try not to incorporate my own feelings and tastes into them, but this time was an exception.
What responses did you get after the show?
Shitano: In addition to the clothes, there were several elements that we were able to add on, such as music, and so it was easy to get the image across. Also, we got responses that we did not get with our past exhibitions, catalogues, and videos, etc., so I think our show was quite refreshing for the people that came to see it. I'm sure there was something that only the people that were there were able to feel, and it made me want to do it again.
