In Setchu, East meets West as cultures and crafts merge, as different ways of cutting garments are explored, and the relation between clothing and body is expanded, urging the wearer to use pieces in multiple ways, at will.
In Spring/Summer 26, Setchu steers South to Africa for inspiration, triggered by a trip Setchu founder and creative director Satoshi Kuwata took to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and a collaboration with LVMH Métiers d’Art, which supports local craftsmanship through initiatives such as the Jafuta Foundation and Batoka Creatives. Deeply inspired by the experience, Kuwata had the opportunity to create woven pieces made of palm with the local tribes, immerse himself in nature, and even go fishing for tiger fish—considered a dream catch for fishermen.
In observing the local culture and landscape, Setchu was inspired by the falls as well as by a peculiar way of dealing with items of clothing, oblivious of shapes and sizes, relying instead on the primal gesture of molding and wrapping things around the body, and a body-conscious pride of the body in itself. The gestures tie Africa and Japan. Zippers and buttons can be open on shirts and t-shirts, allowing freestyle wraparound. A garment bag turns into an impromptu dress. Denim pants and cargo trousers are so big, they can be worn as skirts. Safari jackets hide handles in the collar, so that one can carry them as giant totes. Elements taken from sports—boxing shorts, gym bras, and briefs—and uniforms—military jumpers, fatigues, field jackets—are thrown in the mix together with hakama pants and shrunken blazers with peak lapels, while the mist of the falls suggests a pervasive exploration of transparency, in liquid dressed as well as tailoring.
Gender divides are narrowed, and fabrics are light, with a rainbow tartan as the seasonal signature. The palette is elemental: the blues of skies, the browns of soil, and the vivid hues of the rainbow.
