Yohei Ohno Fall/Winter 2024 at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo

Last November, I had the opportunity to interview film director Gaspar Noé, who was in Japan to promote his new film.

In the press material for his new film, VORTEX, an interview with the director states. ‘VORTEX may be more ‘aimed at adults’ than my previous films. I feel like I’ve really only made films about teenagers for teenagers, and now that I’m 57, maybe I’m finally becoming a bit more mature. I’m entering the unknown.’ I felt as if these words were directed at me.

The Yohei Ohno Spring 2024 collection has been one of the highlights of my career so far. I think it was a very important collection for me. On the other hand, I also understand that it could be seen as a mere avant-garde creation if the context is excluded.

For the collection, I decided to try a ‘Classic for Adults’ collection.

However, the words ‘for adults’ and myself, whose life has remained unchanged for more than ten years, do not feel that we are getting any closer, and they have always remained dissimilar. This sense of self-mockery rather stands out in my mind.

But I know what I have to do. I treat ‘Classics for Adults’ as flatly as I did last season’s ‘Nostalgia with Family’, as mere material, observe from the outside, formulate it elegantly, and do it in a ridiculous way.

The materials used for the clothes were fabrics and colors that could be found by searching for ‘classic fabrics’. Among these, the main material used is flannel wool, with an awareness of the body’s comfort and gentle fall, rather than a tension that accentuates the construction of the design, as has been the case until now.

As for the casting of Yohei Ohno Fall/Winter 2024 show, I was aware of the comparison with Yohei Ohno Spring 2024. Last season it was mostly Japanese women as it was the world of my childhood. This time, instead of making it international, the casting was mainly Japanese as usual, but to consider ‘adults’ and ‘children’ in the sense of age and maturity.

I would also like to announce here that I will be in charge of the attendant uniform design for the Sumitomo Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. The show at this venue was made possible thanks to an introduction from the Sumitomo EXPO 2025 Promotion Committee and the kindness of the people at the SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO.

I could imagine that the SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO, which houses and exhibits historical cultural properties supported by the Sumitomo Group, would bring depth to the keywords ‘luxury’ and ‘classic’ from a different angle to fashion. I felt that the weight and seriousness of cultural assets was also a good (mis)matching for my collection.