MIHARA YASIHIRO: “OPHELIA HAS A DREAM” SS12 WOMENSWEAR
Best known for his eponymous shoe label and collaboration with PUMA, Mihara Yasuhiro is making waves after breaking out into ready-to-wear for both men and women. Yasuhiro has a forward-looking, innovative eye and his love of texture, seen through his use of layering and drapery, makes his clothes perfect for the urban wardrobe.
SS2010 saw Yasuhiro combine sheer vests, with slouchy blazers and fine knits; chic, practical and youthful, perfect for the modern busy woman. An ‘urban nomad’ would perhaps be the best way to describe Yasuhiro’s collection for AW10/11, and his campaign images seemed to support this idea further. Heavy knits, cosy furs, sturdy boots and crumpled skirts trail behind the figure of the Yasuhirowoman, alone in the elements of nature. SS11 saw the birth of a seemingly more sleek, cosmopolitan woman; with more defined silhouettes and Parisian-esque stripes, but without compromising the Yasuhiro aesthetic with the inclusion of ripped jeans and loose knitted jumpers. Now comes a collaboration that has excited all in the fashion world.
For his SS12 womenswear collection, Yasuhiro has teamed up with Paolo Roversi to help create his incarnation of Ophelia, the inspiration for his collection. Roversi, the renowned Italian fashion photographer, worked with the animation company WOW to create a film entitled ‘Ophelia Has A Dream’ to showcase Yasuhiro’s collection. Inspired by the tragic natural disasters that Japan suffered this year, Yasuhiro invites the viewer to enter a dream world, where reality meets optimism. Yasuhiro said of his inspiration;
“ All over the world, people are aware of the huge Japanese disaster which happened in March, and I feel that this picture is so strongly linked to nature, so Ophelia is between death and the feeling of life. I hope that at this moment, her dream is to become happy.”
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Yasuhiro juxtaposed gothic and baroque style dresses with elements of the traditional kimono, creating a nostalgic, yet forward thinking collection. The designer has expressed his collection through an already imagined character, that of Ophelia; a tragic figure, whose innocence and frailty have worked against her. Yasuhiro has employed the idea of Ophelia’s existence between fantasy and reality, to communicate his visions for his collection, and has presented us with an image beyond the garments that we see in front of us.
