Greenland might be in the headlines a lot lately, but it has been on Satoshi Kuwata’s radar for quite some time.
An avid fisherman, the 2023 LVMH Prize for Young Designers winner has been planning a trip to what he described as “his long-time dream fishing destination” for more than 15 years. But only a recent holiday enabled him to finally cross this off his bucket list.
Even more than a fishing activity that exceeded his expectations, Kuwata found in the wild landscape of the land plenty of inspiration. The raw nature of its rocky territory, the extreme conditions, local culture and resourcefulness of its people unlocked new takes on Kuwata’s transformative fashions, which sit at the intersection of tailoring, utility and playful functionality.
The most apparent novelty was a rethinking of the sartorial architecture, which saw the designer bringing forward the armhole construction. The effect was more flattering when rendered in the fluid textures of the women’s looks or in technical nylon outerwear than on the actual blazer jackets, where the result was twisted into a shrunken fit.
Backstage, Kuwata explained that the construction tweak stemmed from his exploration of traditional garments of the Inuit population, including those made from seal skin, where the final silhouette was dictated by the animal’s natural form and need to maximize the use of material.
He channeled the same spirit of optimization and inventiveness in restriction into his more functional pieces, including slouchy coats, zippered puffers and skirts that could be folded to become a bag, as seen in the midnight blue opener and the pinstripe looks. They matched the transformative DNA of the brand, which was reinforced by vests, duffle coats and denim jackets morphing their proportions and opening up to different styling solutions via zippers and snap buttons.
Kuwata offered a live demo of such resourcefulness at the show, applying the finishing touches to each look as they paraded down the narrow white venue, which he revealed to be his brand’s new headquarters in Milan.
