Chris Benz - Japanese-made cloth makes an appearance at New York Fashion Week

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (commonly known as New York Fashion Week) was held in Manhattan, New York during the eight days from September 8th through the 15th. New York Fashion Week is a place for fashion designers and design houses active in the U.S. to announce their new collections and it is held in February (fall/winter collection) and September (spring/summer fashion). Bustling with people involved in the fashion world, celebrities, and media personnel from around the world, approximately 100 brands of the 2012 spring/summer collection were presented at various event bases in the city, centered in the special events halls in the Lincoln Center.

The U.S. Chris Benz brand was presented on September 12^th in Avery Fisher Hall in the Lincoln Center. This brand was developed in 2006 by owner and designer Chris Benz after working with Marc Jacobs and J. Crew after graduating from Parsons School of Design. He has many fans among public figures and celebrities, including Michelle Obama, and his popularity increases demonstrably each season. With the newest collection, Japan-made cloth was used and presented at Fashion Week for the first time.

Benz says that his 2012 spring/summer collection was inspired by Andy Warhol and his contemporaries as well as the hot New York nights in the early 1970s and it is a modern version of 'psychedelic' with various patterns including stripes, floral designs, and camouflage designs and using various overlapping colors. With the motto 'complete incompleteness,' it is a style that Benz excels at and that uses many different colors and fabrics without fear and that skillfully and boldly combines various patterns. His creations originate from textiles. He looks for all types of fabric at each Premiere Vision in Paris.

The opportunity for him to use Japan-made fabrics this time was his participation in the 'Textile Export Trade Show' held by JETRO in Osaka in January. At the meeting, Benz met with 46 Japanese small to mid-sized fabric manufacturing companies and wholesale companies. He reflected, 'At this meeting, I was able to meet with many manufacturers at once and have focused business negotiations while actual holding each company's product in my hand. It was an extremely beneficial opportunity for both the manufacturers and the designers.'

'Novelty fabrics' that use elaborate materials and textures are a perfect fit for Chris Benz, whose brand lies between haute couture and casual, and he was particularly interested in the fake fur, velvet, and mohair fabrics that he came across at the meeting as well as the traditional Japanese patterns and crape. "Up to this point, I have used Western-patterned cloth, mohair, and linen, but Europe doesn't blend materials very much, so when looking for rare and wonderful 'novelty fabrics,' I felt that Japan-made fabrics were better," he said. He picked up swatches from about 40 companies and the camouflage-patterned fabric of Collect Co. (Okayama) was used in this collection. When asked the reason, Benz replied, "I was interested in the fact that this company has recreated more vintage-type fabrics and is reselling them after using new washing techniques and colors. It is a wonderful fabric manufacturer and the work was easy."

Benz said, "What makes Japanese textiles excellent compared with Western textiles is the complexity of the weave and the product perfection level in which care is taken in the details. The wash, feel, and weave are all extremely beautiful and delicate," said Benz. He says that Japan-made fabrics are also suitable for his resort collection. "For the resort line, a material in which wrinkles are not noticeable is essential for traveling. 'Novelty fabrics' with their sense of material are suitable for that, too. Japan-made stretch linen is functional and can be used in various items for the resort," he says. He states that he would like to use many more Japan-made fabrics in his future collections.

In the newest collection presented at Fashion Week, there were several kimono-like designs and styles with a belt. With regard to this, Benz said, "Japan has been an extremely significant source of inspiration for me. The idea of using a thick sash belt in evening wear (clothes designed as such) is new to me. I purchased vintage clothing in Kyoto when visiting a production area after the Osaka business meeting and that experience was an inspiration for my collection."

It will be interesting to take note whether Japan-made fabrics appear in future Chris Benz collections along with influences from the culture.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: www.mbfashionweek.com (English)
Chris Benz: www.chris-benz.com (English)