Port Magazine Online editor David Hellqvist spoke with Visvim designer Hiroki Nakamura on his design process for two special cardigans from Visvim’s Fall/Winter 2013 collection. In introducing the piece Hellqvist makes a fantastic point that there is now a second movement of Japanese fashion that came to power in the last ten years. One that has provided an alternative to the fantastical designs of Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo. This movement is lead by brands such as WTAPS, White Mountaineering, Engineered Garments and of course Visvim. While there is a great deal of fluxuation in style between these brands, what they share is an obsession on perfecting and re-defining heritage staples.
Visvim stands at the forefront of that and the below quote by Hiroki sums up his approach to design.
“I like to mix interesting products and raw materials from all over the world, using various artisans and techniques. Modern manufacturing is great because you can take advantage of quality and price but at the same time, the output of modern manufacturing increasingly looks the same, and I like to see character. I’m working with different artisans and sources to add character to the product. I believe in using natural colours and dyes – I think the natural dying process still has a lot to offer. You won’t get a completely flat dye, it won’t be perfect, there’s an element you cannot predict – but I like that, it’s key to our product.”
Read the rest of the feature on PORT.
