Tokyo James Tackles Climate Change with New Autumn/Winter 2020 Lookbook
Designer and creative director, Tokyo James imagines what winter would look like if climate disaster goes unchecked in his Autumn-Winter collection entitled "The Last Winter". James, who founded his namesake label in 2017, is known to derive his creativity from the most pertinent social issues, including political turmoil, rebellion, and now climate change.
The Tokyo James Autumn/Winter 2020 London Fashion Week show was quite literal in its interpretation of the topic. Fake snow came down from above, sprinkling over his models' faces and joined the clusters of flurries that had already been strategically glued around their faces.
The collection maintains James's signature approach of melding classically tailored structures with striking patterns. Much of his collection consists of fabrics leftover from previous collections, including up-cycled leather faux leather that manifested in an assortment of different garments—including some unforgettable waistcoats and puffer jackets. For these jackets, James collaborated with the outerwear brand, Ariat Europe.
Keeping in line with his environmental focus, James has said in the future the brand will only produce made-to-order, capsule collections in order to reduce waste and to produce garments that are unique to the wearer. This is a move that many brands have chosen to make to quell the wastefulness that fast fashion and over-producing brings.
James designs for a generation known for their social consciousness and eschewing of archaic conventions. His clothing seeks to redefine what it means to be and dress like a man. James uses the quintessential masculine attire that is the suit and subjects it to all kinds of contemporary novelty. As exemplified in this particular collection, James does not shy away from using traditionally feminine colors and patterns in combination with his masculine cuts.
View images from Tokyo James' Autumn/Winter 2020 Lookbook below and stay tuned for new styles from Tokyo James dropping soon on The Folklore.
Up close, a few of his models can be seen bundled in vibrant parkas with rouged, snow-caked faces.
Words by Natalie Jarrett