Michał Mrzygłód SS14 'Chin-suru'

‘Chin-suru’

Michał Mrzygłód is a young Polish designer living in London. He studied fashion design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland, after which he moved to London to further his education at London College of Fashion, where he is currently completing his first year of menswear design. His debut collection – ‘chin-suru’ – won the second prize in the most prestigous fashion design contest in Poland – ‘The Golden Thread’.

‘Chin-suru’ as a collection was in fact a form of manifesto – an attempt to define as accurately as possible the direction Michał’s work would take. For Michał Mrzygłód, fashion per se is treated as the ultimate translational tool. Almost any idea, any more or less complex concept, can be expressed by translating it into the language of fashion. Thanks to that, it is a form of sublime narrative, one giving the designer an almost unlimited array of possibilities.

“Chin-suru” is a verb translatingg as “warming up food in a microwave” or simply “a microwave” in modern Japanese slang. Though, for Michał, it became a metaphor for various cultural and social changes that have occurred in Japanese society in the past century, resulting both directly and indirectly from the Meiji reformation. “Chin-suru” is a space in which various influences of European and American cultures collide with what is considered traditionally Japanese. As a result of this conflict, a mould of great pliability is created. Notwithstanding its complexity it can be easily fitted into an accurately prepared form. ‘Chin- suru’ as a collection was precisely this kind of form.

Michał decided to combine some strictly Japanese inspirations, analysing the form of the traditional Japanese garments from the Edo period, with something seemingly abstract and remote – the Californian surfer and skater subcultures of the 70s. These were the starting points of the journey that followed. Organic growth of inspirations, their natural intermingling and progression, somehow resembling the stream of consciousness, stimulated the evolution of collection, leading it to its final form. Given that, it became a creation that is truly pulsating, multi-dimensional and eclectic.

The aforementioned eclecticism quite clearly reflects in the choice of fabrics used in the collection. Silk satin and organza with rather surreal palm-inspired prints is juxtaposed with a peculiar texture of salmon leather or with organic patterns of laser-cut neoprene. This strong contrast is softened by the delicacy of cottons or the texture of velvety suede. Bold colours used complement the experiments with textures. Truly intensive orange is mixed with royal blue, lime yellow and with slightly toned down prints.

Neoprene jackets have characteristic ovoid, bulky shoulders and raglan sleeves, shirts are deconstructed, while pleated, wide hakama-inspired trousers resemble skirts rather than traditional trousers. Sleek geometry of Japanese inspired forms is contracted with modern, organic cuts. By playing with forms and proportions Michał tries to redefine the conventional distinction between feminine and masculine. Accessories give the silhouettes the final touch - high, wooden, geta-style platforms further supplement and redefine the proportions, while the aerodynamic cuts of the headwear create a sporty, exaggerated look.