N.Hollywood just celebrated its 25th anniversary, and when you’ve been in business as long as Daisuke Obana, fashion comes back to you again. Asked to share what’s on his finely tuned radar, the designer wrote: “I feel like there is a big change in trends in the Asian market as a whole…I feel like there is a shift in consciousness towards simpler and more practical items.In a way, it is more in line with what we are doing. I’m starting to feel that there is.”
The practicality and functionality of N.Hoolywood TPES is obvious at a glance, and everything Obana does is truly “simple.” His knowledge of military equipment is incredible, and he delves deep into specific aspects of combat/cold weather equipment each TPES season. Spring focuses on mountaineers. He and his team watched hours of documentary footage of mountaineering expeditions to determine the styling direction.
The casting added a documentary dimension to the lookbook. This kind of body diversity is rarely seen on runways or in fashion images, and it was refreshing to see the clothes in action. The idea, Obana writes, was to emphasize “the relationship between physicality and work, as well as the element of multinationality.”
A palette that included olive drab and black, as well as white and dusty plum, added interest to the familiar silhouette. There are lots of small details to note, from the placement of labels to the unexpected appearance of pockets on sleeveless tops. The service also includes five joint ventures, which are not undertaken lightly. This allows TPES to offer products that go beyond their expertise and are in sync with the theme and aesthetic of a particular collection. Mr. Obana and his colleagues partnered with Wacoal Men’s to come up with a “groundbreaking (underwear) design that is sizeless, reversible (front and back), and seamless.” The military-inspired towels are made from a special yarn infused with bamboo in collaboration with Japan’s Hippopotamus company. The watch strap was co-developed with Curious Curio, a Tokyo-based vintage military watch specialist. Working with the American company Dana Ann, “we created a low-cut version of the military-approved ‘Tachyon’ series,” Obana said. We also continued our ongoing partnership with Ark Air, a purveyor to the British military. Obviously it takes a village to climb a mountain.
