Mame Kurogouchi FW24 / Fall Winter 2024 at Paris Fashion Week entitled “Fragments”
A continuation from last season, the Mame Kurogouchi Fall Winter 2024 collection travels to Saga Prefecture, an epitome in the history of Japanese ceramics, this time introducing ‘Old Karatsu’, said to have flourished in the latter half of the 16th century, as well as numerous ceramic fragments, tracing the journey of pursuing beauty over hundreds of years. The natural colour palette and rich textures, minimal silhouette, and unique pattern expressions which define Kokaratsu (Old Karatsu) are sublimated into ‘wearable ceramics’ by the designer Maiko Kurogouchi.
Shades of grey found throughout the entire collection invite one to a journey through the traces of past creations. Before the dawn of domestic porcelain, through trial and error of potters, the grey-brown earth colour created in Karatsu region, even as fragments still reminisce the land’s unique colour and traces of lost creation. Shade transitioning from reddish warm grey to beige is a yearning for the Earth seen in Saga, and the different time axes of the same land go back and forth, the memory of the flame in the kiln portrayed in orange and terracotta colours, giving warmth to the Mame Kurogouchi FW24 collection.
Detais and tailoring Mame Kurogouchi FW24, Potters of the past painted landscapes and flowers that appeared daily in front of their eyes in Ekaratsu (Painted Karatsu). Its simple yet generous lines are translated into cord-embroidered botanical motifs that run boldly across the body of plain dresses, shirts, and sheer vests. Jacquard dresses and tops expressed in tone-on-tone, and casual chunky knits include elements of painting from Karatsu which often depicts simple and familiar motifs, blooming quietly and powerfully on various pieces.
The aurora-like glaze reminiscent of Madara Karatsu is expressed onto alpaca wool coat, using hand-pouring dye and the texture of glaze expressed by blending the beautiful unevenness and finely honed pattern-making. Silk wool one-shoulder dresses and oversized shirts with lust are created through a unique process which craftsmen in Kyoto apply mochi-rice (sticky rice) to the fabric and let dry, then repeat dyeing into the cracks, creating a texture that blends into the grain, recreating the fine intrusions in the grain of ceramics.
Casual pieces such as denim and knits take on the mysterious mixture of glaze unique to Korean Karatsu, giving a new look. Mishima Karatsu’s graphical rhythm, using continuous patterns such as floral stamps and line carvings, are translated into the patterns of jacquard dresses and knit pieces while preserving its original form.
The beautiful down jacket with a gentle cut collar reminiscent of kimono, padded scarves with bold botanical embroidery, uneven lines of kintsugi running on knit and velour jerseys, long woolen coats and plain suit styles with flowing cuts create a modern, sartorial interpretation of the hidden, calm and rustic beauty of ceramic fragments.
Exhibition
Photos, Old Karatsu Fragments, Karatsu Ceramics, Notebooks, Farbric Samples, Drawing Samples, Books. The collection’s journey through time, told with juxtaposition of various objects.
Show Sound
(A statement by Yuko Mohri)
“This sound produced for Mame Kurogouchi Fall Winter 2024 Collection, consists of piano, noise and field recordings. While listening to the sounds of the ceramic pieces that inspired Maiko and the stories of her actual visits to the kiln fires, I was able to imagine various sound textures or sound scenes.
In this piece, you hear a glass harp first, and then a piano comes in to imitate the sound. I say ‘imitate’ because the piano is programmed to trace the ambient sound – it really listens to the glass harp and tries to play it. All the piano sounds heard in this piece are played by the piano listening to the recorded ambient sounds. From the sounds of the kiln fire, a plotter or chattering voices, imagine what the original sounds were and enjoy the millefeuille of the sound textures. From the various layers of sound, you may also hear the sound of Maiko touching the ceramic fragments.” – Yuko Mohri (Artist)
All images Mame Kurogouchi FW24 by Mame Kurogouchi
Credit to
Designer Maiko Kurogouchi
Stylist Ai Kamoshita
Casting Director Simone Schofer
Hair Artist Kiyoko Odo
Make-up Artist Min Kim
Models Ana, Asako, Athiec, Carliane, Caroline, Cecilia, Deborah, Essoye, Feya, Florence, Jiwoo, Kirandeep, Laura, Layla, Mary, Maryna, Miko, Niki, Stinne, Sylke, Toto, Varvara,
Music Yuko Mohri
Show Direction and Production Stationservice
In House Photographer Luca Tombolini
Movie Titre Provisoire
Location Ogata Paris
Exhibition Photos Yuichiro Noda
PR Agency PR Consulting Paris