Perched atop a mountainous hillside scattered with blooming cherry blossom trees, we find Kentaro Tamai and his label ASEEDONCLOUD. As mentioned previously, Tamai-san gains inspiration from his interpretations of a typical working-class occupation. And the main character for S/S ’21 is a craftsman named “Shinshi” who works as a street performer while also growing cherry blossoms as a lumberjack. This “master of hearts” is a shy character and a 10th generation descendant of Hanasaka Jiisan; although he cannot sprinkle ashes to make the trees bloom, he must simply take good care of the trees.
Designs this season conceptualize this profession quite well and the lookbook allows us to visualize the character. Outfits like this one showcase the connectedness of the theme story; with its elongated pleated skirt, to read wind direction while tending cherry trees but also acting as a mosquito net whilst street performing. The frilled collar encircling the model’s neck is reminiscent of Renaissance-era street performers and the belted work blazer is cut loose enough for adequate mobility throughout the day. Elsewhere, cherry blossoms are scattered across the face of this cotton shirt are meant to give you an impression of viewing a full forest of trees from above.
Enjoy the lookbook above and continue to read for a look at their ongoing HANDWERKER series as well.
HANDWERKER
For their 6th volume, sub-brand HANDWERKER examines the fragrance sector and creates a collection centered on the herbalist coat. This season they interview Yoshiko Yamanobe the owner of fragrance yes, a natural and organic skincare and fragrance label born out of Yamanobe-sans’ need for an allergy remedy.
Head over to the HANDWERKER site to read her interview in full and learn more about her life and process.
