This interdisciplinary spirit has also affected his creative attitude. Titled “Beautiful Life,” the collection featured a range of characters drawn from everyday urban life: a nurse, student, hotel worker, and art museum curator. To wit, this season saw Ohno, having to date pursued an aesthetic of the extraordinary, enter fresh territory with portraits of people from everyday life.
More specifically, the collection included updates on iconic previous designs, such as a skirt made only with round patterns and a pair of high-waisted pants. The collection acquired depth through the addition of new elements like spiraling patterns and references to stomachers, a decorative panel historically worn by women over the bodice of a dress that has proved a source of fascination for Ohno. Needless to say, Ohno remains adept at making pieces with a modern art vibe. The most eye-catching example was surely the striped beige dress that resembled a giant garment bag. Huge eyes hanging over the shoulders also appeared in the 2023–24 fall/winter collection, but Ohno used 3D printing here to augment the motif further. Especially remarkable were the pop graphics printed on the cut and sewn and pleated dresses. According to Ohno, he took a cue from the pictures on bags of animal feed he saw in Vietnam, a country he loves so much he goes several times a year. Perhaps it was these somehow lackadaisical yet adorable pictures that made Ohno’s previously somewhat distant designs feel more familiar this time.
That what at first glance seemed like disjointed elements matter-of-factly arranged but then ultimately came together as a unified collection was down to Ohno’s unwavering aesthetic, which reaches every aspect of his designs. Ten years on from launching his brand, Ohno’s spirit of inquiry continues to send him off into uncharted territory, infusing new energy into his idiosyncratic, avant-garde creations.