Soshi Otsuki is Collaborating With Zara
The LVMH Prize winner has created a family-inspired capsule collection for the fast fashion giant
It’s been a busy year for Soshi Otsuki. After winning the LVMH Prize in September, the Japanese designer was announced as the guest designer at Pitti Uomo, where he’ll hold his first runway show in January for his eponymous brand SOSHIOTSUKI. Today, he announced a capsule collection in collaboration with Spanish fashion behemoth Zara. Just in time for Christmas!
Featuring menswear, womenswear and kidswear, the collection is called “A Sense of Togetherness” and is inspired by the 1980s and 90s in Japan. The lookbook was shot (beautifully) by Hanna Tveite Capdevielle, and evokes the iconic family portraits of Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase.
There are kimono-tied suit jackets and relaxed tailored trousers for men, and skirt suits for women. One of the sweaters features a hand-scrawled Pikachu (that’s the one on my wishlist). Best is the children’s wear—the tiny corduroy suits and velvet dresses made me want to have kids just so I could dress them up like little Showa-era salarypeople.
From what I saw at the press preview this morning, which was held at a Japanese-style house in Nakameguro, the clothes read as an affordable distillation of Otsuki’s mainline: prices will range from ¥1,990 (£10) for accessories up to ¥39,990 (£195) for coats and tailoring.
Interestingly, Zara put their stock in Otsuki long before he was announced as an LVMH nominee, and asked him to collaborate after they discovered his clothes in Shibuya’s PARCO department store last year. The move is part of the company’s wider strategy to establish more presence in menswear in Asia; for Otsuki’s part, it will help him reach a wider audience (and provide some welcome capital) at a pivotal time for the designer.
Otsuki will also be showing at Pitti in January, marking the first time he will put on a runway show for international press and buyers outside of Japan. I’ll be covering that when it happens, so stay tuned.
Until then, you can read my full interview with Soshi here.
SOSHIOTSUKI x ZARA will be available online and at select stores around the world from 4th December.