Hyke returned to the Tokyo runway tonight for the first time in five years, holding their show in the vast Ariake Arena. The outdoorsy minded womenswear brand, run by couple Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode, has built a robust fanbase in Japan and abroad, and the arena was filled with an excited chatter that isn’t too common at shows in Tokyo.
Reliably with Hyke, this collection yielded plenty of useful pieces that will serve their wearers well in a multitude of environments. Blazers that looked perfectly boardroom-worthy had openings at the sleeves that gave them a sense of lightness. Knitted ribbed sweaters wrapped across the chest but were missing their bodies, so that they really appeared like blankets, or sleeves with neck holes. One of those handy pieces that we all inevitably find ourselves in need of when the weather is being insane, they were chic, too.
This collection also marked Hyke’s fourth collaboration with The North Face; best were the cropped down vests. The brand also brought back the mosquito net-like sheer fabrics that appeared last season, draping them across T-shirts, shirts, and trousers. Instead of keeping bugs at bay, the designers had insulation in mind. “For the past few years, we’ve been doing sheer materials for fall,” Yoshihara explained. I think it’s because the weather is warmer, but the idea of layering sheer materials means that you can wear them for a long time between the seasons.”
Coyote brown, a muddy shade often used in camouflage, featured heavily on the outerwear, while ultrasuede, a leather substitute invented in 1970, was used to make some great-looking black and brown dresses whose structured sleeves curved outwards. More fun was found in the subtly surreal details that peppered the collection. Toggles were pulled diagonally across fleece gilets, trench coats were cropped above the waist, and button-up dress shirts were fashioned into skirts that billowed elegantly at the knees. “You could wear them as a shirt if you try, but really they are skirts,” said Yoshihara.
Backstage after the show, the designers were met with a crush of press. How did it feel, after all this time, to be back on the runway? “The preparations [for the show] were really quite nerve-wracking, and it had been such a long time that we had forgotten a few things, but it was still exciting,” said Yoshihara. “I feel like it was very fulfilling for us.” The crowd nodded; us too.
