LOVE and WARdrobe
The One to Watch: Naoya Nakayama
Published in issue 2 of Front Row View magazine, August 2010
When nationwide recession hits, we find ourselves wearing our statement pieces to within a thread of their lives. Gone are the times were we would splash out on a few new outfits on a weekly basis; we had to save our pennies for a desperate occasion – our heels snapping or our dress shrinking in the wash were an exceptional few. Or that’s what we liked to tell ourselves anyway. This can be tiresome, uninspiring, and even make us momentarily loath our over-worn favourite designer shoes.
But alas, it’s time to get the emergency fund out and take our wardrobes out of depression by reinvesting in a new designer. And this year the up-and-coming designer isn’t hard to find, as the infamous London College of Fashion has held its graduate end of year show, revealing the stunning designs of Naoya Nakayama.
The Japanese Nakayama has graduated with a degree in design technology, specialising in womenswear, which is evident through the fine construction of the designs, which have all been inspired by 3D image artwork.
Nakayama, who has had work experience with Erdem, Giles Deacon, Jonathon Saunders and the ASOS design team, wishes to bring his pieces alive through a collision of binary opposites; traditional and contemporary, and beige and gold.
He has used ‘space’ blanket material to create out-of-this world designs, including my personal favourite- a dress that is on one side short and layered, and the other a floor-length trench. He combines a fusion of the traditional with silk and jersey fabric, but the razor-sharp trim allow for the outfit to change in appearance depending on the perspective, meaning you will never look the same again in the same outfit. Perfect.
We are expected to see more of Nakayama as he embarks on his fashion career, which will hopefully include giving us yet another excuse to buy ‘just one more’ outfit.
But alas, it’s time to get the emergency fund out and take our wardrobes out of depression by reinvesting in a new designer. And this year the up-and-coming designer isn’t hard to find, as the infamous London College of Fashion has held its graduate end of year show, revealing the stunning designs of Naoya Nakayama.
The Japanese Nakayama has graduated with a degree in design technology, specialising in womenswear, which is evident through the fine construction of the designs, which have all been inspired by 3D image artwork.
Nakayama, who has had work experience with Erdem, Giles Deacon, Jonathon Saunders and the ASOS design team, wishes to bring his pieces alive through a collision of binary opposites; traditional and contemporary, and beige and gold.
He has used ‘space’ blanket material to create out-of-this world designs, including my personal favourite- a dress that is on one side short and layered, and the other a floor-length trench. He combines a fusion of the traditional with silk and jersey fabric, but the razor-sharp trim allow for the outfit to change in appearance depending on the perspective, meaning you will never look the same again in the same outfit. Perfect.
We are expected to see more of Nakayama as he embarks on his fashion career, which will hopefully include giving us yet another excuse to buy ‘just one more’ outfit.
