Finding himself in Lagos, Nigeria, surrounded by the beauty that is the south-western hemisphere of the African continent. Re:qual designer Tetsuya Doi reveled in the atmosphere of the newly established fashion collective FACE A-J. According to their initial press release, “FACE A-J (Fashion, Art & Culture) is a collective that showcases the culture and creativity from Africa and Japan, including an interactive fashion presentation, and panel discussions with the top names in the fashion and creative world.” And in October of 2019, the group amassed three Japanese designers together with three African designers and showcased their collections.
Upon returning to Japan, Doi set out to create his next collection with these new influences in mind. Utilizing models of both Asian and African descent, the campaign showcases the truly unexampled thought and design ideas of Doi. It’ll be easy to become lost just viewing the multiplicity of layers accompanying some of the pieces but, that is the intended result. Taking a step back or viewing from a distance will create the perception of a full and weighed down silhouette while stepping in reveals the fact that only one layer resides on the body while the other layers stem from the original. Overall, with this being such a young designer, it’ll be exciting to see what else is in store for the budding brand in the seasons to come.
The collection is available for pre-order now through select stockists as well as through the brand’s website.
