Presenting Onitsuka Tiger’s 2023 Spring/Summer Collection at the Milan Fashion Week

On Wednesday, September 21st 2022 at 9 P.M. local time, Onitsuka Tiger presented its 2023 Spring/Summer Collection at the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy.

Under the guidance of Creative Director Andrea Pompilio and following on the heels of Onitsuka Tiger’s participation in the previous physical show, we took part for the fourth time beginning with the 2021 Fall/Winter Collection.

This collection’s theme was “Japanese Minimalism.” Combining cutting-edge forms and tradition, we achieved the pinnacle of beauty via the aesthetics of subtraction, eliminating all non-essential elements. Throwing off the restraints of existing categories, we sublimated elements of sports while reinterpreting fashion from the perspective of prêt-à-porter. The urban spirit remained unchanged even as we added luxurious materials and delicate patterns.

Characteristic of the collection is the approach combining simplicity with charming design details. All apparel items are made in Japan, with flowing silhouettes and the type of vigorous strength characteristic of the brand’s heritage, with painstaking attention to detail such as the embroidered logo with zigzag stitching and the decorative seams on the hems. Body consciousness expressiveness underlies the designs, which are also inspired by Japanese culture. Examples include drawstrings that seem to go on forever and an oversized georgette T-shirt with an embroidered emblem, transformed into a top. Sculpturesque culottes made of high-quality nylon and creating the appearance of skirts are inspired by the hakama worn by archers in the traditional art of kyudo. Inspiration has also been taken from kimono, as in the cutting evident in the wide, floppy blouse sleeves of the tank tops and in the drape of the logo-bearing beach towels attached to them.

The knitwear is extremely soft and luxurious, shaped to possess a wide silhouette. The pants of the brand’s iconic track suit are an ultra-baggy version with wide curves. Meanwhile, the urban chic atmosphere is preserved, appearing in surprising places such as the lightweight nylon safari-style dresses with hidden fasteners allowing for adjustment of the length and the miniskirts with large patch pockets creating a fresh silhouette resembling short hiking pants.

To integrate 3D volume with an element of surprise into the look of the collection, Andrea Pompilio also focused on the back of the apparel, which tends to be 2D. On offer are not only the drawstrings creating changes in the silhouette, but also items such as dresses adjustable for length, coats with capes inspired by trench coats, and dresses designed with pockets in the back, an idea inspired by backpacks.

The color palette is black and white accentuated with yellow (the brand’s signature color) and with a shade of green inspired by the brilliant color of the leaves of Japan’s perilla plant.

There is also a lineup of high-impact shoes and accessories. The iconic SERRANO model has been reborn as the TIRRACK, featuring a bold graphic motif in the form of tiger scratches. The new additions to the present collection, the leather flipflop CLAW and SCLAW MT, made in Japan, are inspired by the leather-soled sandals of traditional Japanese footwear. They have interwoven details reminiscent of driving shoes and are available in comfortable high-cut and low-cut models. The baseball caps combined with the type of parasol used in Japan are designed with brims on both front and back, and can be worn whichever way one chooses. Bags inspired by bowling bags are embroidered with the logo and cross-stripes, and are available in three sizes, including a mini-size version.

The special headphones employed in this collection were courtesy of Bang & Olufsen, the world-famous producer of audio equipment founded in Denmark in 1925.

Celebrities from around the world appeared at the fashion show, including Tomohisa Yamashita.

Following the fashion show there was an after-party with special performances by DJs Mia Moretti and Chloé Caillet.