The show opened with a dress shirt adorned with slivers of fabric resembling exposed ribcages and denim riddled with holes below the knees. The look evoked the physical and psychological scars of war, accompanied by a knit floral headpiece that blossomed in the red, blue, and white tricolor symbolizing pan-Slavic unity.

Gathers, shirring, floral embroidery and cross-stitch details added a handcrafted touch, drawing on traditional Slavic costume. Nagano deftly blended these references with elements of his own roots in American casual style, giving the collection a sublimely multilayered effect.

Of course, no SEVESKIG show would be complete without leather. At first glance, the cropped leather jacket seemed conspicuously on-trend. But the unexpected choice to style it over a tailored sandy-beige suit was emblematic of those mischievous twists where the brand’s personality shines through.

Perhaps the same could be said for the recurrent tiger, leopard, and other animal motifs. Nagano said these motifs were inspired in dialogue with AI, which when prompted, confidently spun fanciful tales of fictional deities including the “tiger-headed god” and “witch in a red leopard fur coat.”

SEVESKIG’s A/W 2023 collection generated buzz for its AR-enabled homage to the feature length anime, Paprika. The brand renewed this pop crossover for the S/S 2024 season in collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion, printing T-shirts and developing new materials in a nod to plot points from the series.