Traditionally Japanese fashion designers like to make their mark in Paris. Not so Satoshi Kuwata who rose to fame in France by winning the LVMH prize with his brand Setchu but who has been embracing Italy ever since winning that prestigious accolade. His influential show yesterday at his new Milan headquarters which had a housewarming party vibe including a live band announced Setchu as a new creative and unexpected force out of the Italian fashion capital which rarely gives birth to strong conceptual work. This designer is all about transformation and he has an assured hand in the design process subverting bombers or conjuring up top grade nylon track suits pants. His garments can easily morph into bags, or he challenges himself into creating a new silhouette by repositioning the armhole construction forward. Inventive tailoring is at the core here. Not only that, but he is also an avid fisherman and went to Greenland and its national museum and dedicated his show to the hotly contested Denmark territory island by invoking local Inuit population garments and going as far as making seal skin boots. His best piece here tough was a Vicuña coat which he hand-finished the night before the show and to underline the preciousness of the fabric he covered it in a plastic protective layer for a cool look more associated with Paris than Milan.

Inventive tailoring