Yoshida has a background as an artisan, having enjoyed a long career hand-printing fabric patterns and designing textiles. After applying the print by hand, he gives his clothes their unique texture by salt shrinking the fabric with alkaline solution. He submerses fabric made with a mix of fibers that do and do not react to the alkaline solution, resulting in fibers that only partially respond to the process and giving the fabric an unevenness. He layers ingrain fabric over delicate, laser-cut embroidery. Such dyeing techniques and textile know-how that Yoshida has cultivated to date were allowed to shine even in the setting of the studio where he produced his collection. The aforementioned tassels were apparently made by putting two pieces of fabric together and then dissolving part of the material by soaking it in a special liquid. What I want to emphasize here is that his professional shift from artisanal work to a fashion design is not simply about fulfilling a self-righteous desire for recognition but a means for creating highly personal designs. No doubt Yoshida already had his sights set on making clothes and furniture, even back when he was a textile designer.
HOLO MARKET’s slogan is “Back to the Classic.” At its core is clothing regarded as standard, whose design is not especially inventive or incisive. This season was more sophisticated than before, though, perhaps because Yoshida was more restrained in his use of color compared to the strong and assertive patterns of past seasons. This possibly reflected the deluxe image of the theme this time, or was a testament to HOLO MARKET’s hidden potential and how it has matured as a brand. I can’t wait to see what Yoshida and HOLO MARKET do next.