Junya Watanabe puts a twist on classic Americana at Paris Fashion Week menswear show
Junya Watanabe has opened his latest menswear show at Paris Fashion Week with beige hunting jackets paired with discreet shirts and ties
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Beige hunting jackets with oversized pockets, paired with discreet shirts and ties, opened Junya Watanabe’s latest menswear show at Paris Fashion Week Friday.
It was a deceptively classic start for the avant-garde Japanese designer, whose signature knack for subversive tailoring and patchwork soon disrupted conventions.
What looked like classic Americana — thick denim jeans, caps, and check shirts — quickly morphed into something far less predictable. Exaggerated blown-up check pants in red with dramatic turn-ups injected a sense of whimsy, as did splashes of vivid color. A pale yellow jacket and a tactile padded coat in soft pastels softened the masculinity, reworking the rugged aesthetic into something gender-fluid.
Flashes of bold hues, from vibrant red to bright blue checks, became a defining motif. The palette danced across reimagined hunting jackets and distinctly masculine silhouettes, which were disrupted by the designer’s famed use of patchwork. Here, it wasn’t just a technique but a conceptual statement — ideas and styles stitched together, creating contradictions.
Hunting jackets might evoke tradition, but here they felt fresh, even irreverent, with their clever layering of fabrics and unexpected details. The collection demonstrated Watanabe’s mastery in blending the familiar with the avant-garde, offering a “bro” aesthetic turned on its head by bursts of feminine color.
The recurring themes of denim and disruptive tailoring felt polished yet safe, lacking the urgency or political edge that defined his earlier work.