For CFCL designer Yusuke Takahashi, the 10th collection of the high-tech knitwear label was a milestone that had him reflecting on “its starting point and trajectories,” he said before the show.
In mathematics, that tends to define straight lines. But Takahashi took a more elastic view, inspired by “Lines: A Brief History,” a 2007 book by British anthropologist Tim Ingold that explores how lines of all kinds subsume everything humans do, from walking and singing to storytelling and weaving.
That led the designer to trace backward all the way to his graduate collection when he discovered computer-programmed knitting, even enlisting sound artist Miyu Hosoi for a rhythmic soundtrack composed using the clicks and clangs of specialized machinery.
But the fall collection was no greatest hits compilation.
To wit, if the final dress was a seamless tube shape on paper, once on the model, it had all the form-fitting allure of a structured sheath and the nonchalance of a Fortuny-pleated number.
Takahashi’s not one to plod a linear trajectory for long even if solidly desirable options such as voluminous but lightweight blousons made from curving milano rib knits or impeccable tailored trousers could keep the brand going steadily.
The growing number of glamorous options such as filmy gowns in small-gauge yarns and more experimental pieces like a blazer that segued into a shimmering dress for a wholly novel take on the coatdress showed that Takahashi is only just started plotting the learning curve of what can be done with yarn and plenty of imagination.
