The clever thing about Yaku Stepleton’s obsession with storytelling is that it makes it easier to see the evolution of the brand. Walking out of 180 Strand, the BFC’s NewGEN Space where today’s presentation took place, the predominant feeling among showgoers was that Yaku’s vision is becoming a bit more focused, that little bit more legible.
It helped that the references this time weren’t as seeped into the world of gaming as in past seasons. Instead of making clothes for fictional fighter tribes, for spring 2027 Yaku and co told the story of a family barbecue—the characters that populate such a gathering and the legends they tell.
Universal concepts like the first time you saw your mum smoking or that older cousin whose room you were never allowed in were brought to life with humor and lots of props—there were 3D printed foam amps, Xbox controllers, gigantic iPads, a bag in the shape of a three headed-dog and countless more.
The “smoking mum” model, who walked in a pair of baggy brown leather trousers made skinny around the ankles, held three shopping bags and wore as many baseball caps stacked on top of her head. The hats all carried prints of photographs from the designer’s childhood. The “cool cousin” wore jeans that burst at the waistline with fake banknotes. Another character appeared in a white short sleeved shirt with a UFC belt print—only instead of UFC the belt print read UNC.
“It’s probably the most personal season we’ve done,” said Stapleton and his partner Nas Kuzmich during a preview. “In previous seasons we were looking at either distant history or too far into the future. We ignored this most recent 100 years. What were the lives of our grandparents like before they became our grandparents?”
The show opened with a recording of an older male voice asking: “When was the last time we were all properly together, the whole family?” It was meant to be a grandfather about to tell his two granddaughters stories from when he was young. An older male model walked on cue, clad in a distressed gray waxed cotton suit.
It was that suit and the blue leather getup of the finale that revealed the brand’s full potential. Both seriously constructed and unmistakably Yaku in the detailing (scales and horns and all), these were outfits one could imagine on more than one type of person. This is what he should hone in for next season. That and the choreography; it was a full five minutes into the show before anyone sitting on the row furthest from backstage saw any clothes.
