Designer Harunobu Murata often looks to photography for inspiration. This season’s collection took a cue from the work of American photographer Slim Aarons, whose positive portrayals of the jet set lounging poolside under a clear blue summer sky brim with elegance and an insatiable lust for the finer pleasures of life. While Aarons similarly provided a springboard to HARUNOBUMURATA’s S/S 2021 collection, the theme took on a new exuberance post-COVID—all the more so as the brand’s first runway show.

The show unfolded as a study in form and color, opening with pristine white looks that transitioned to crisp black and white, sheer checkered patterns, delicate seafoam, soft powder orange, and luxurious off-white. The color story then took a tempestuous turn, suggesting the seductive world that awaits after sunset. Eye-catching orange and yellow gradients lit up the runway like a fleeting sunset, only to be eclipsed by green and navy gradients reminiscent of a forest tempered by twilight’s veil. Night descended with a tranquil deep blue followed by the jet-black of many midnights. The runway was suddenly brightened by a striking tricolor of white, green, and navy, only to plunge back into pitch black once more for the grand finale.

Acclimating Aarons’ idyllic California sunshine to the balmy local Tokyo terroir, HARUNOBUMURATA’s latest collection was the encapsulation of Japanese luxury.