Sacai SS24: a masterclass in combining tailoring and streetwear with supreme elegance

There is something extremely beautiful about the minimalism of the Japanese when it comes to design. Their incredible mastery of technique and manipulation of cuts and patterns set the counterpoint to the opulence of Western designers. An anti-fashion that proclaims itself necessary in a world of constant over-stimulation. Sacai provides it.

Japanese like Chitose Abe shy away from the presumptuous, staying free of baroque ornamentation and spectacle. Abe’s Sacai always looks to the future with hopeful positivity and supreme sophistication. And this season he plays with that universe of wondrous minimalism through exploring notions of uniform to reshape it.

The idea of uniform and uniformity leads to a “head-to-toe” approach to dressing, where jacket, shirt and pants combine to become the ultimate expression of a total look. The classic suit admits a thousand different shapes and fabrics, whether pinstripe, denim, tweed, floral print or cotton. Denim meets suit fabrics; floral print meets moleskin born from 1940s French workwear, with the pattern recreated this time by cutting and sewing, coming to life as an appliqué detail.

The brand’s signature pleats this season are used to reduce proportions and volume, appearing as generous peplums, pants and skirts, or as intricate pleats incorporated into knitwear. Suddenly, a sleeveless trench coat is slit and the fabric is tapered to give a narrower feel.

The friendship continues with Carhartt WIP. Its famous “duck” fabric appears fused with the suit. The cargo jacket, one of the most recognizable garments in the Carhartt universe, becomes into a blazer with tuxedo collars. A Carhartt WIP dungarees paired with a pleated dress is the perfect embodiment of this marriage between Japanese sophistication and the rawness of workwear.

The remixing of tradition continues this SS24 by inverting familiar clothing archetypes to give them a new perspective. A hopeful statement from Sacai that anticipates a future of pure sophistication.

For more about SS24, click here.