The big story from Hyke this season is that it has officially expanded into menswear. Not a moment too soon: those perfect saxe blue shirts, tough black cargo jackets and super-sleek raincoats styled with serious specs and side-parts will help the brand go toe-to-toe with the wave of minimal menswear designers currently booming in Japan.
Hyke’s depth of experience may well give it an edge. Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode have been designing since 1998 when they started their first brand, Green, and are deeply knowledgeable about the nuts and bolts of utilitarian clothing. As usual, they had been diving into their Rolodex of vintage and old US Army clothing references for inspiration, transforming M-51 arctic trousers into roomy drawstring pants, and reinventing an M-65 field jacket in windproof and waterproof Pertex fabric.
“We’ve been doing unisex styles for about ten seasons now, but wholesale buyers have been asking for [dedicated] menswear,” said Yoshihara over a video call. “For about a year we were torn between quitting or committing to it fully, but we already have the experience and the set up for it, so decided to give it a real shot.”
Whether menswear or womenswear, there was plenty of innovation as usual: women’s tailoring was slit at the sleeves to allow extra movement, cricket sweater vests opened at the sides, and a men’s oversized T-shirt had a vertical zip at the neck, lending it an androgynous silhouette. Bags were made in collaboration with Briefing, while iconic British brand Baracuta was tapped for jackets; Hyke reinterpreted the brand’s famous tartan lining into a black and beige version which appeared in the lining of a desert storm coat, and on button-up shirts and shirt dresses.
Hyke has been doing video presentations for the past few seasons. This time they took inspiration from choreographer Cindy Van Acker and Belgian contemporary dance company Rosas; models sat on seats as though they were waiting for a train, before standing up and crossing the catwalk. “We focused on minimal movements, the actions that occur in everyday life, like walking, sitting, and standing, while simultaneously showcasing the looks,” said Yoshihara.
Even so, watching the slickly produced film this season felt like a wasted opportunity—the clothes looked good, but would have looked better to a live audience. Time to return to the runway?
