Noir Kei Ninomiya
The Comme des Garçons offices in Tokyo have been something of a revolving door for small fashion shows over the last several weeks, with Kei Ninomiya being the latest to present his collection there. The Noir designer made the most of the relatively small space, creating a runway that ran the length of the room three times, with guests seated in spaced- out chairs between the lanes.
“I wanted to bring the same thing I normally do in Paris to Japan, and show my collection directly to people in front of their eyes,” Ninomiya said to journalists after the show.
The designer said while he never sets a single theme for his collections, this season he wanted to create a cheerful mood and positivity, while focusing on the craftsmanship his brand is known for. He opened his show with a pair of dresses created from beads strung onto wires and fashioned into loops, followed by three more made of plastic tubing that wrapped around the body like dark cyclones.
Ninomiya also showed several all-black, Gothic dresses accented with ample gathers, bows, ribbons, frills, and long chains that trailed on the ground. But as the show progressed, various shades of light pink were gradually introduced, culminating in hooded, body-length creations of allover ribbons or bows tied from tulle.
“Instead of specially weaving new fabrics or something, I decided to use things they were readily available or already on hand,” Ninomiya said of his choice of materials.
The show closed with several intricately beaded pieces, including a few made from crystal- shaped pink plastic beads attached to the ends of thin gold wire, causing them to dance with the light as the models slowly made their way down the runway.