In this time spent at home, Kozaburo Akasaka looked to his native Japan. The archipelago on the eastern edge of Asia has a strong identity, which, according to Kozaburo, is a beautiful byproduct of the exchange of different cultures.
The respect for tradition but warmth and openness to others developed today’s Japanese Shingon Esoteric Buddhism that served as his inspiration for the collection. The man responsible—a monk named Kūkai—traveled to China to study and brought back the foundation for this new religion, but really gained a new awareness in Japan.
“We see Japanese culture and identity as very strong and pronounced,” the designer said. “But looking back at history, some influence came from the outside. What the Japanese people did was edit and adapt pieces of those cultures to make it our own.”
Born and raised in Japan, studied abroad in England and now based in New York, Kozaburo sees the same parallels within his own journey. A student of philosophy, he left college to study fashion but brought with him the principles of his time at Buddhism school: all creations have meaning and purpose.
The Fall 2021 collection offers a qipao jacket, inspired by details of the Chinese national costume with a large back pocket that might have carried the precious scriptures Kūkai brought back from Tang. Tailored jackets with external seams are embossed for warmth, padded panels bring shape to knit sweaters symbolizing physical and mental protection, and the color theme of indigo and red are reminiscent of the mountains full of magma.
His signature kimono jacket bears the scene of Mount Kōya, the same location the collection video was shot, and the holy place where Kūkai came out of his practice of chanting sutras 10,000 times a day for 100 days that led him to enlightenment.
“Creation can sometimes be painful, but painless practice is no practice. There are many realizations in the days of repeated sunsets and sunrises,” said Kozaburo. “Awareness flows as rivers, and the ocean extends beyond that. This collection is the beginning of a new journey to the vast ocean.”
Click to discover the full collection on RUNWAY360 >
