As our yearning for a frosty respite intensifies in the midst of scorching summer, kolor’s Junichi Abe, like a sartorial sorcerer, summons an ethereal snowscape on the runway. His Spring/Summer 2024 collection, a masterful fusion of sportswear and high fashion, tantalizes with a tantalizingly paradoxical invitation to cool off in sun-drenched landscapes. Drawing inspiration from Abe’s rekindled childhood love for snow-swept adventures, the collection cultivates a fresh silhouette embodying the liberty and exhilaration of swooshing downhill on a crisp winter day.
While the temperature outside continues to climb, kolor‘s icy collection teleports us to a winter wonderland. Abe’s childlike joy of gliding down the slopes is manifested in an avant-garde yet accessible design philosophy, where sportier, freer shapes are introduced, diverging from the tighter silhouettes of past seasons.
Abe’s artistic flair takes the tribal essence and transmutes it into a hip, earthy aesthetic. A standout piece, a cascading white dress, billows like fresh powdery snow, effortlessly radiating a chill, bohemian vibe.
But the collection is more than a mere fashion statement. It’s an introspective journey, a reflection of Abe’s experiences of solitary tranquility on the mountaintop, a moment that he described as “scary, but really nice to examine myself.” This theme of self-transformation pervades the collection, as Abe audaciously upends traditional design conventions.
Ski sweater motifs and color-blocking techniques are ingeniously melded, transforming parkas with sharp Chevron shapes and adding dimension to shorts with creative layering. The whimsical addition of snowflake patterns on lightweight sweaters and playful puffy sleeves on ski suits lends an element of joyous irreverence. Demonstrating his experimental daring, Abe toys with a new cape sleeve design sourced from a puffer coat, while comical open sleeves with dangling mittens add a dose of humor.
In a seemingly counterintuitive move, Abe designs a ski collection for the summer season. However, he pays homage to the hotter months with his choice of material: airy, translucent nylon jumpsuits that are light as snowflakes. The kolor Spring/Summer 2024 collection thus emerges as a mesmerizing interplay of contrasts – a snow-themed collection unveiled under the summer sun, a melting pot of sporty and chic, tangible and ethereal.
Through his recent offering, Abe encourages us to reevaluate our relationship with nature and ourselves. Each design element, each thoughtful detail whispers of self-discovery and personal transformation. The kolor Spring/Summer 2024 collection, indeed, is more than just apparel; it’s an enchanting tale of man, sport, and nature, woven together in the language of fashion.
© Photos: kolor
Click on this link to read this article in French version
