For fans of Japanese fashion there can surely be no greater goal than to actually contribute back the fashion culture that you so admire. Misha Janette, who readers of this site will know I write my regular Japan Times fashion column with, may have long made a name for herself as both a journalist and stylist to be reckoned with, but you only have to look at her own indisputably unique sense of style to see that there is a huge amount of creative energy just waiting to come out. This opportunity was afforded to her when she began to seek high-fashion wigs as the logical next step in augmenting her own personal fashion, and finding the market very much wanting, decided to found her own wig brand to appeal to other perfectionist fashionistas for whom anything but faultless hair every single day will just not do.
I caught up with Misha Janette at her very first exhibition / installation as part of the Vansankai project held to mark the opening of the fashion industries go to restaurant / space – Idol in Aoyama. Here she had collaborated with some of her favorite designers including Christian Dada, Somarta and G.V.G.V on a series of mannequins and decorated their faces herself with her own distinctive style.
It goes without saying that in order to match Misha’s own taste for high fashion the wigs themselves are of optimal quality and the styling effects and colours set to last as long as you need them to. Apparently the most popular design based on the number of orders Misha had taken that day was “Tango” (centre in the fourth picture down), which I thought was probably the most high-fashion orientated , it just goes to show that if you give Tokyo a challenge, the people shall rise to it. Elsewhere there are a good number of easier to use designs and a couple of unisex ones to round off her first collection of wigs, but knowing her, I just know that she will be itching to try something even more avant-garde in time. With that said enjoy a look around the installation:
To see more you will want to go to Plumb’s homepage where they also have an online shop that accepts international orders.
Elsewhere at the Idol opening there was a fantastic exhibition by a trio of Japanese artists called Tenki who Misha did a great job of introducing on here own blog here.
Love this tulle monster!
Dan Bailey who is best known as one half of Tokyo Dandy had his first Disposable Lives photo book on sale in very limited amounts.
Yoshirotten’s new work in holographic metal eluded capture on camera but was fabulous in the flesh and marks a new more artistic direction for this illustrator best known for his street art being employed in fashion prints.
I hope you enjoyed that look around Idol, but more importantly the world of Misha Janette. If you are in Tokyo, then I believe that her next pop-up shop is likely to be in Xanadu Harajuku, so don’t miss out on that.
