Fetico. Fall 2023 - Tokyo Fashion Week

I have reviewed Tokyo Fashion weeks in the past, which showcases the already established and upcoming of Japanese designers.  With a majority of the styles presented angling more towards the experimental and Avant-garde, whilst fusing the uniqueness of Tokyo's urban street wear looks.  The runways shows have ensured that the Japanese fashion scene remains to be seen as one of the most original within the more notable global Fashion weeks.  Even despite the fusion of Western elements into its ideas, this borrowing and making of claims to an already established styles, is very much a part of the Japanese ethos and culture.  To which it transcends any thoughts of plagiarism, as ideas are intrinsically absorbed and redefined by an endearing charm of recopying its guise.  All achieved with a keen eye for detail.

Fetico being a very young brand, which was started in 2020 by Emi Funiyama a graduate of the Esmond design school of Tokyo, completing her studies in 2010.  And as an extra incentive to her emerging brand, in July 2022 prior to Spring Fashion week in Tokyo,  Funiyama had won the Japan Fashion Week 'Next Brand' award for her brand Fetico.  With only two runway shows under her belt, Funiyama's Fall 2023 collection is beginning to show the latency of Funiyama's talent as an upcoming Japanese designer.

For Funiyama's Fall 2023 collection, as seen with other designers stalwart trend of the last five years, which is very much their romantism of late 1970's hedonistic cues.  That being the sweet spot between the contraceptive pill and AIDS, where sexual energy and expression under a disco ball ruled supreme.  However, in no way should one see the late 70's and early 1980's as a time of perfection or enlightenment, it was more or less an era that overlapped 1960's idealism with a new found amourous desire.   And I can understand why designers keep returning to this particular time frame; the differentials were much more defined as were the motives, which were driven less by self centered narcissism and more by widespread, as mentioned, hedonism.  So why not prefer the later. 

The lingeire outwear styles took a back seat when the 2020 pandemic hit, although Casey Cadwallader's imprint for Mugler with his very Eros and sexualized looks did indeed hold the line throughout the pandemic.  The more subtle and sensual styles have yet to reemerge, and it appears we are still facing the blunt reality of global turmoil as the reflecting template.  And it seems that fashion being that tuned aesthetic of change, has aligned itself in lieu of what could be further calamity ahead.  Funiyama, has maintained the more blunt of libidinous styles which is surprising and inspiring to see from a Japanese designer, where sexuality is less revealing in Japanese culture as opposed to the West's feigned overhype.  

This was Funiyama's second runway show since the inception of Fetico, with the brand still in its infancy, there is certainly room to grow and mature for the many seasons to come