The unusual layout of N.Hoolywood’s lookbook pictures is a kind of call for action. The idea is that you’ll tilt your phone to get the expansive landscape experience. A South African safari which, the designer said, became “a truly healing and wonderful journey” inspired both the collection and an appreciation for vastness.
Now, a safari theme for spring might seem as groundbreaking as a floral one, but it does fall within the brand’s remit of translating standard issue “uniforms” for urban wear. The idea also was to contrast the modernity of Johannesburg with the unpredictability of the animal and natural world. Daisuke Obana’s affinity for functional wear came through in the more straightforward looks, jackets, shorts, camp shirts. The idea was to “emphasize elegance and presence through elements such as thickness and texture,” qualities that are difficult to discern in photographs. What really catches the eye is the designer’s use of pattern. Tonal animal prints, Obana indicated, were conceived as a kind of camouflage, an interesting spin on what looks like leopard spots. Spiral motif and geometric designs, derivative of African wax print and mud-dyed Bogolan, were printed on tech fabrics. More successful was the designer’s “off-road” approach, as in his use of variously angled stripes on a navy-and-blue top that offered a conceptual and unexpected take on zebra stripes.
Though Obana’s safari inspired this collection, he was back in Japan when the clothes were produced, therefore the location of the shoot was the Kirigamineski resort in Nagano Prefecture. “Toward the end of filming,” the designer related, “a large number of deer—apparently a family—suddenly appeared before us. It truly felt like a real safari. I was deeply moved, as if the wonderful encounters in Africa had brought about this unexpected connection.”
