Rainmaker’s signature is its ability to incorporate Japanese sartorial touchpoints (namely the kimono silhouette) into contemporary clothing. This season, designer Kohichi Watanabe focused on that cross-continental dialogue more explicitly, and based this collection on the interplay between Japanese aesthetics and Western elements.
Watanabe sought to blend some of those idiosyncrasies together—see a white cotton shirt that wraps around the front like a karate gi, a softly structured gray suede jacket, and wool coats whose sleeves elegantly curved over the arms like bygone Japanese clothing. As has been the case with his past few collections, the imposing technical outerwear stole the show—he used Polartec fleece to create cloaks that strapped over coats and puffed out the sleeves, lending them a gorpcore samurai vibe.
It tracks that Rainmaker is based in Kyoto. The former capital of Japan may not have the global fashion clout of Tokyo, but its taste level is generally considered to be more refined and understated than its sprawling successor, and it has retained more of the history of old Japan. So it is with Watanbe’s clothes. Though traditional Japanese clothing largely fell out of favor after WWII (nowadays people typically only wear kimono on special occasions such as weddings, funerals, or trips to the theater), the designer consistently re-ups its spirit in a way that feels convincing and contemporary.
His blanket-like coats, fuzzy vests, and uber-sleek tailoring have the kind of appeal that travels. Whether Rainmaker’s customers will wear it on the streets of Ginza, Brooklyn, or East London hardly matters; this collection would look just as great on Mars.
