April 24, 2024 |
Nearly 20 years ago, Satoshi Kuwata arrived in London from Yawata, a small city that sits just outside of Kyoto, Japan. Aged 21, he barely spoke a word of English, but with a one-way ticket and a dream, the aspiring designer took to Savile Row with a handwritten sign to promote himself and looked for work. H Huntsman and Sons eventually scooped him up and, combining this with his womenswear studies at CSM, Kuwata’s career kicked into full gear. He can count a number of stints at brand’s like Gareth Pugh, Edun, Givenchy and Golden Goose now, and in 2020, he launched Setchu, his own innovative label, in Milan.
The name Setchu, which comes from the Japanese phrase ‘Wayo Setchu’ written ‘和洋折衷’ and translates to mean a compromise or fusion of East and West, signals the intersection of Kuwata’s British training with his affection for Japanese minimalism. Its philosophy? Dressing with substantial doses of refinement whatever the context. This means radical tailoring with a handmade quality, and taking something classic and discovering its nuances or even something entirely new, are his standard, while genderless garments that mutate through the clever application of drapework, folding and strategic fastenings are his specialty.
An ardent angler since childhood, much of Kuwata’s approach is informed by his unceasing love for fishing. He even dresses with the same spirit when he’s fashioning clothes as when he’s fishing, but this is the reason for the fluidity and adaptability of the clothes he makes. Like origami, conceptualising his designs starts with paper which he then bends and folds, manipulating it to unveil liminal spaces. When fabric joins the conversation, texture is called to attention and these really unique pieces are brought to life.
Now, the 2023 LVMH Prize winner has collaborated with Savile Row tailors Davies & Son – the street’s oldest operating tailor shop – on an assortment of Kuwata’s quintessentially modular garments. It’s the first time the sartorialist has co-designed a collection with an extrinsic designer in its 221-year history. “I really appreciate being the first designer to do this. It reminded me of the first day I started working at Savile Row almost 20 years ago,” says Kawata. “For the Japanese, Savile Row tailoring is a very spiritual place. The Japanese learned to dress in the Western style thanks to the Savile Row style. Patrick Murphy and Johnny Allen from Davies & Son are very busy, but they listened to me and remodelled the clothes so many times to create the perfect pieces. I feel like the luckiest designer ever!”
Working with Allen, the head of bespoke at Davies & Son, and Murphy, its co-owner, on the capsule, Kuwata praises, “I’ve learned everything from them. They’re gods to me,” says Kuwata. “I was a naughty little boy who didn’t even know how to use the phrase “How are you?”. When someone says “How are you?” you answer “How are you?” to that person, and go on about the bad weather in London. If you walk out of the shop without a jacket, wearing only shirts, Johnny says to me, “Satoshi, you’re not going out in your underwear, keep your coat on!” He was like my dad in London and taught me the basic manners of British culture right down to tailoring. I still remember the beautiful phrase he addressed to me. “Satoshi, the suit is not draping, it’s sculpture”. [And] Patrick is a living legend to me. He is The tailor of Savile Row. He’s a well-known master tailor and he’s one of the best tailors in Savile Row. He’s a master sculptor who knows all the secrets of making people’s bodies beautiful with a piece of cloth. What’s amazing about him is that he’s also very open-minded. He loves a challenge. When I presented him with my first idea/prototype that I sewed, he understood in a second what I wanted to do. I can see why singer Paul Weller is one of Mr Murphy’s closest friends.”
Making its debut at the 60th Venice Biennale on April 17, Kuwata and Davies & Son revealed three, bespoke looks. The capsule included a double-breasted coat, a short jacket in black herringbone (a material usually reserved for morning coats) and a long, white, cashmere coat that can be folded and packed away. Everything was oversized, the way Kuwata likes it, but maintained the exacting standard of cut that Davies & Son is renowned for. “I wanted to do something gender-neutral like what I do for Setchu. Everyone should deserve good design. We are in 2024 and there are more women working in the fashion industry than men. I also wanted to create something meaningful and timeless, so I spent a lot of time struggling to come up with these designs. People should be able to wear them at any time, for any occasion, easily transportable anywhere (even for a fishing trip!) and they should look unique and beautiful. As a result, these become beyond special. I think this design will last for several hundred more years. Unless human beings decide to return to nudity for good.”
To accompany the clothes, Kuwata also called in a favour from bespoke shoemaker George Cleverley. “George Cleverley is another legendary shop for me or, I think, for anyone who loves classic shoes. They are the best in the world,” he says. The bespoke brand produced a black calf-leather version of its classic Chelsea shoe – the same style Kuwata ordered from Cleverley when he was just 21. “Mr Glasgow [George Glasgow Jr.], who owns GC, like Mr Murphy, still remembers what I ordered and so we are using the same shoe lining colour for this collaboration,” the designer says. “They produced a pair of ready-to-wear shoes for women, especially for this project. They had never done that for another designer before. I’m very grateful for that. We’ve known each other for 20 years and they’re really trying to help my dream come true!”
The exhibition took place at Palazzo Venier, which boasts a “very relaxed atmosphere” according to the designer. “I’d like everyone to feel like they’re visiting a friend’s house,” he says. But also, “Savile Row tailoring isn’t fashion, it’s an art. [So] we wanted to deploy it to everyone in a dream location”. Kuwata was introduced by Carina Fray and Stefanie Barth to design maverick Piero Gandini (the former CEO and owner of Italian lighting brand Flos), who offered him the space pro-bono to stage the collaborative project.
The capsule was displayed alongside a selection of Kuwata-designed lifestyle objects “from Japan, mainly from Kyoto” where he was born. In the Palazzo’s stuccoed entranceway, guests were greeted by a massive foldable paper lamp painted with sumi ink. Handmade tatami mats were veiled in sheer black Setchu fabric, ceramic stools featured removable lids that doubled as ikebana trays and ceremonial candles were sculpted using organic wax. Together with the clothes, an incredible, multi-sensory experience was created. “It’s simple, but it’s meaningful. My dream is just beginning to come true. I’d like to design everything I see in everyday life. This is the first capture of that dream. I’d like everyone to experience it.”
Kuwata says that he’s also looking into a limited run of ready-to-wear with Davies & Son noting, “we may introduce more affordable ready-to-wear pieces for those who want to buy something similar to bespoke.” But his main reason for wanting to do this is wanting to continue working “with Mr Allen and Mr Murphy”. In Kuwata’s hands, whatever comes next will surely be remarkable.
Photography by Patrick Bienert.
