Editorial
NEEDLES & RECONTEXTUALISING HERITAGE CODES
31 May 2024The latest from Keizo Shimizu’s Needles represents the recontextualising of heritage design codes.
For many decades in fashion, Americana through the considered, meticulous lens of Japanese craft has represented a pivotal movement. At the core of this very movement has been Keizo Shimizu and his esteemed Needles imprint, a label that has served as a defining figure in the Japanese recontextualisation of Americana. For decades prior to founding his coveted umbrella label Nepenthes, and later Needles as one of its offshoots, Shimizu spent years poring over the cultural history of America, with particular emphasis on the fashion that was woven throughout it.
Utility, prep and sportswear, to name just a snapshot, would all be reworked using premium Japanese craft and materials, elevating it into something equally tied to the past, yet unique and unapologetically its own.
The latest collection from the much-loved label demonstrates a continuation of that, marrying time honoured codes with its own distinctive outlook. The Covered Jean Jacket, for instance – which forms part of Needles' Rebuild line – is crafted using several vintage pieces that’re cut and sewn together, reformed to achieve the brand’s signature patchwork look. Vacation shirts, meanwhile, are cut to relaxed fits and detailed with bold patterning, ranging from retro-inspired multi stripes to black checkerboards. The usual Needles mainstays are given the nod, too, with the inclusion of jacquard and velour tracksuits, bold cardigans and the brand’s wide-fitting H.D Fatigue pants.
NEEDLES AT END.
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