Fashion feature: Christian Dada Fall 2012

image:C.Hope for Style Wylde

Avant garde designer Christian Dada has made a name for himself as a "must see" at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Tokyo in part due to his highly conceptual runway shows. As much performance art pieces as they are a presentation of his collections, the Dada shows often include multi-media elements such as videos and music, and are ultimately theatrical in design. (Theatrics are definitely a specialty of Dada designer Masanori Morikawa, who in the past has created stage costumes for Lady Gaga.)

The Fall 2012 collection which showed at Tokyo's Midtown Hall on Wednesday evening, definitely lived up to this reputation.  Inspired by the forest and the natural elements found there, the collection was dark and mysterious in staging with emerald lights glowing from above and casting an almost foreboding light on the models as they made their way down the runway. The music was again heavy and unsettling and grew to a cacophonous crescendo for the shows finale which featured a video of a bird cage erupting into flames. (The cage was major theme in the S/S 2012 collection, and the video a reference to that fact.)

image:C.Hope for Style Wylde

A rock-bed pattern which was also cleverly included on the show invite (pictured above right) was woven throughout the collection appearing on looks for both men and women, and providing the only real color in the show.  The pieces that were not patterned, were primarily inky black with textures such as smooth leather wooly kits or puffy tulles providing interest.

 image:C.Hope for Style Wylde

image:C.Hope for Style Wylde

Silhouette also played a major factor in the show, with unusual lines such as wide-leg pants for men, and voluminous floor length skirts for women appearing interspliced with the more familiar minis and leggings.

For more on Christian Dada visit the label's official web home.