Hyke. Fall 2022 - Tokyo Fashion Week

(Images: Hyke 2022)

I've always been impressed by Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode's brand Hyke, showing their first collection in Tokyo for Hyke's Fall/Winter 2005 styles. They have since been involved with a slew of collaborations, more notable Hyke's Spring/Summer 2018 The North Face quislingism, highlighting their expertise in combining fine tailoring with outwear, utility and military-eqse wears.  A trend that has been consistent of the last five years, competing with the current styles of avant-garde 'gothic' and modernist styles,  Yoshihara's and Ode's functional utility wears offers a more grounded stylization of experimentation, particularly their use of cutting edge materials like Gore Tex and Entrant.  Synthetics are notoriously hard materials to tame, as opposed to the flowing fine wool draping that the two designers have incorporated into their rugged inspired styles.  
 
Yet, these are no street wear inspired ensembles, rather one cannot dismiss the exceptional tailoring and precision cuts of Hyke, that have ensured Yoshihara and Ode's have delivered a unique template over the last six years of presenting their collections.  And their Fall 2022 array is certainly a more insulated affair, intermixed with the elegant tailoring, clearly inspired by Parisian décontracté looks.  Yoshihara and Ode have set upon to create a distinct layering of fabrics as opposed to their previous collections, attaching a mix of modernist looks and bohemian chic.  However, the use of unyielding synthetics can give the styles a boxy look, which I feel is part of the Hyke charm.  

With 40 styles in total, Hyke's Fall collection offers a broader spread, utilizing the mountaineering and military uniform tonal palette.  And with a world in turmoil, it seems fitting that we are looking for a sheltered aesthetic, which is currently being represented on the runway as insulated and protective wears.   Yoshihara and Ode, although no strangers to the durability of fabrics, have presented a solid and well structured collection.