Fashion Five: Fashion Dissertations, Chambray Shirts and Military Pants, Hot Weather Clothing, Met Gala Fits, NBA All Star Fits, iShowSpeed in China
Every Sunday, I’ll share five ideas and content usually focused on fashion and menswear.
Hi all!
A friend asked me the other day if I could’ve started any clothing brand, which one would I choose. For me, it’s probably the Japanese label, Visvim.
Hiroki, the founder and creative director, travels around the world learning traditional textile and clothing techniques from artisans. Then using what he’s learned, he creates a piece or a collection from the ground up. Each drop is accompanied by a written dissertation that he shares on Visvim’s blog. It’s almost like he goes through a mini-PhD program for each release. For example, I shared this piece on my blog awhile back on Visvim’s dissertation on Doro-Zome, the Japanese technique of Mud-Dyeing originally used to dye Kimonos a rich black color.
I love Hiroki’s approach of studying and understanding a tradition then reimagining it in a way that still honors the past.
After reading and writing about fashion for a while, that’s what I’m drawn to as well. I love unpacking the origins, asking “why,” and deconstructing pieces in my own way.
Anyways, onto this week’s fashion five!
I) Chambray Shirts and Military Pants
The BEAMS PLUS Harajuku staff all styled chambray shirts with military pants. While they’re basically wearing the same template, each outfit looks completely different.
One layered a green sweater under the shirt, another tied a bandana around his neck, and the guy in the middle doubled up with two shirts. Each look brings a fresh and personal twist.
That’s what styling is all about, taking pieces, adding your own spin on it, and making them your own.
II) Three Different Ways to Design Clothes for Hot Weather
In another interesting short from @frontoffce.co, Ken breaks down 3 cultures approaches to creating clothes for hot climates: The Bedouins, Japan, and India.
Each region took a very different approach to making hot-weather clothes and is a reflection of the geography, culture, and technology.
The Bedouins were based in the Arabian Peninsula, were the climate was hot and dry. Because of the hot and dry climate, cotton was difficult to grow. So instead, they used wool from the animals they travelled with. Wool has great temperature regulating properties and the Bedouins had oversized, loose-fitting garments that don’t sit close to the skin creating an air gap with plenty of breathability.
On the other hand, Japan also created garments with breathability not through volume but through weaving techniques. For example, the garment above has a looser, open weave, meaning the clothing can sit closer to the body and still keep the wearer cool.
India has developed centuries of mastery in spinning and weaving. The dhoti and sari are great examples of this as they’re crafted from large, thin, and light sheets of cotton, creating graceful movement and drape.
III) Best & Worst Met Gala 2025 Looks
This year’s highly anticipated Met Gala took place this past Monday, with a theme centered on Black Dandyism and the role of clothing and style in the Black diaspora.
The Met Gala is one of fashion’s most prestigious events, where A-list celebrities go all out with their fits.
One of my favorite menswear creators, Drew Joiner, breaks down the best and worst looks from this year’s event.
IV) 2005 NBA All Star Fashion
V) IShowSpeed in China
I’m a month late, but iShowSpeed, the most famous streamer in the world visited China, and single handedly introduced sides of China rarely before seen especially in the US.
This man is the definition of aura. And these pics are just too iconic.
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See you again next week,
<3 James