Unlike many streetwear players, which built their reputations on hype, limited-edition drops and recognizable logos, Hideaki Shikama has been crafting his lexicon around Japanese youth subcultures and their clothing codes — be they skateboarders from the ‘90s, street dancers or today’s hip-hop sensations.
The Children’s designer does it via obsessive research into vintage textiles which he applies to retro-tinged silhouettes, usually managing to make them look credible.
BMX pros were fall’s main characters — seen doing their tricks against busy urban landscapes in the eight-minute show video. The collection’s ‘80s-inflected streetwear with military references and a strong outdoorsy component reiterated Shikama’s ability to reboot cool kids’ basics — acid-washed anoraks and parkas, spongy knitwear and plain hoodies — and turn them into identity-making garb.
One could hardly tell if the designer’s apparently haphazard combination of vintage galore came out of thrift shops in Shibuya, or was brand new merch. Either way, it was highly covetable.