What distinguishes a decent concept from a gimmick? You grin at one and scowl at the other.
The Japanese label Anrealage’s captivating, humorous runway presentation, which took place in Paris on Tuesday afternoon, was a great concept by that standard.
Because the only appropriate reaction was to smile as the label’s blocky designs came to life like an arcade game after seeing garments so square they appeared like something from “Minecraft” and platform shoes shaped like slip-on Cybertrucks.
After the exhibition, designer Kunihiko Morinaga said that the yarns used to make these garments were adorned with tiny LED “balls.” Imagine a billboard from Times Square enclosed in a swinging sack garment. Each design had a sensor and battery pack, enabling backstage control of the display. (The content was created in collaboration with the Japanese technology design agency MPLUSPLUS and is exclusive to Anrealage.)
The outcome resembled a mix between Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Tron.
In the hands of a hyperactive child, three flashing garments evoked the lights of a building. In order to create fresh kaleidoscopic tartans, two models marched side by side, their tartan smocks alternating colors as they went.
Models gathered together for the conclusion, their dresses changing into the pixelated static of a malfunctioning TV before resolving into a stained-glass design that appeared to be a reference to the American Cathedral where the performance was held.
Backstage, through a translator, Mr. Morinaga stated that this collection was influenced by a quite antiquated technology: two-sided advertising signs used by “sandwich men” to promote enterprises.
This fashion presentation seems to embrace our technologically advanced era. At the very least, it served as a reminder of how unchanging fashion can be. The wools and cottons that have been in use for millennia will be used by nearly every other brand showcasing during Paris Fashion Week.
No, Mr. Morinaga. He is Carl Sagan of fashion, looking up into the sky to wonder how far a dress may go in one man’s eyes. Tabula rasa ensembles that developed patterns when exposed to UV light and clothing that inflated on the runway are examples of his prior misadventures. The fact that an Olympic team did not use Mr. Morinaga to incorporate his magic into their opening ceremony uniforms for the Paris Games is a lost chance.
It was difficult to imagine someone wearing a digital “Starry Night” outfit walking next to me as we ventured out into the streets of Paris. As of yet, none of our clothing featured LCD panels. Those smiles were what we wore. And perhaps it was Mr. Morinaga’s original intention.
