Not all ’80s revivalism leans into pop culture references like Dynasty, Jane Fonda workouts, and big hair. N. Hoolywood’s Test Product Exchange Service collection is a case in point. Designer Daisuke Obana, who is an expert on vintage military gear and a perfectionist, was inspired by special missions soldiers’ garments from the ’80s. He also “tried to reproduce all the video work in the way it was” at that time, with results that give his collection film an analog feeling. “Rather than sending a message, I want everyone to feel this collection,” he wrote in an email exchange.
Because of his respect for and study of historical garments, Obana’s work itself might be read as analog, in the sense that it refers to something else. But, as usual, the designer has some surprises up his sleeve. The cotton fabrics are actually performance polyesters. “At first glance it looks retro, but it’s actually techy,” Obana said. Their utility aspect, and the attention to detail, such as unexpected draw pulls on pockets or sleeves that open to the elbow, are manna to those in the know. I was going to write hypebeasts, but the concept of calling attention to oneself is antithetical to N. Hoolywood’s ethos, and to this collection as well.
Fashion is familiar with the concept of stealth wealth, but dressing as a kind of camouflage (the action, not the pattern), is not the zeitgeist. Obana’s designs are quiet but confident, and he is preoccupied with performance rather than performative self-expression. This is not only an aesthetic choice but connected to the designer’s values for living. “I’m being chased everyday to think about priorities for a more self-centered life. A selfish state of mind that does not bother others,” he writes. Read this, then take another look at the collection; it all falls into place, doesn’t it?
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