Engineered Garments Fall Winter 2024 Collection
The Fall/Winter 2024 collection from Engineered Garments is a profound journey into the personal and stylistic influences that have shaped designer Daiki Suzuki’s career. This collection, the third in a trilogy following Fall Winter 2023 and Spring Summer 2024, marks a culmination of Daiki's exploration of the styles that have defined his life, offering a profoundly reflective and innovative range of garments.
Daiki Suzuki's fascination with fashion began in his high school years. He was first captivated by the rugged "heavy-duty ivy" style, then the classic "ivy style", inspirations seen in his previous two collections. However, the Fall Winter 2024 collection diverges from these themes, drawing inspiration from the Japanese designers of the 1980s, a period that significantly influenced Daiki's sartorial perspective.
In the early 1980s, Daiki drifted away from American clothing, immersing himself in the world of Japanese fashion designers. Daiki admired Comme des Garçons, especially their Homme line, which he had discovered in 1978. The brand's ability to transform traditional workwear and military uniforms into avant-garde fashion through experimental patterns and unique silhouettes left a lasting impression on him. This era also marked his burgeoning interest in movies like "Last Year at Marienbad" and "The Third Man," as well as post-punk and new-wave music, all of which shaped his creative outlook.
After high school, Daiki moved to Tokyo and started working at Redwood, an American import goods store, where he met Keizo Shimizu, the future founder of Nepenthes and designer of Needles. Keizo, a fellow admirer of Comme des Garçons, became a crucial figure in Daiki's fashion education. Despite Keizo's extensive knowledge of Japanese designers, he preferred American brands like LL Bean, helping Daiki appreciate the depth and complexity of American workwear and outdoor gear.
During this critical time of his youth, Daiki continued to work in the store, absorbing everything about clothing, music, movies, and art, deepening his understanding of fashion's dual nature: the balance between following and breaking conventional rules. This nuanced perspective is evident in the FW24 collection, which combines simplicity and complexity, as well as the avant-garde and the balanced.
The FW24 collection revisits Daiki's formative years, blending the styles and influences of that era with his current design philosophy. The collection features many of Engineered Garments' iconic silhouettes, rooted in classic American style but reimagined with innovative patterns and avant-garde details reminiscent of 1980s Japanese designer clothing. The pieces incorporate unconventional closure systems, creative proportions, and unique textiles, maintaining the brand's identity while pushing its boundaries.
Standout pieces in the collection include the Harness Vest and B3 Jacket in Brown Polyester Fake Suede, the Tent Cape in Dk. Navy Nylon 3 Layer Cloth, and the Over Vest and Trans Jacket in Dark Navy Wool Uniform Serge. Each item reflects Daiki's ongoing exploration of balance and harmony, integrating elements of his youthful influences with his matured design sensibilities. The collection also pays homage to the casual elegance of European designers like Armani and Massimo Osti, whose work Daiki admired alongside Japanese innovators.
"Recollections of Light, Present Shadows," as Daiki calls this collection, is a tribute to the styles that profoundly impacted him during the early 1980s. It is an experiment in projecting his current self onto his past, creating a dialogue between his youthful inspirations and his present-day creativity. This collection embodies the chaotic blend of novelty and tradition, reflecting the vibrant post-punk and new-wave music scenes and the pop art culture that fascinated Daiki in his youth.
The FW24 collection from Engineered Garments is not just a seasonal offering but a narrative journey through Daiki Suzuki's formative years and the influences that continue to shape his vision. It captures the essence of balance and harmony, integrating the goodness of basics with the intrigue of design, and stands as a testament to the timeless impact of fashion on personal identity.
The collection arrives at Nepenthes New York on July 15th, 2024.