Jun Ashida Tokyo Spring 2022

Technology and fashion go hand in hand, especially right now. As designers have sought new ways to present their collections post-pandemic, they’ve relied heavily on the latest developments in photo and video. For Tae Ashida, creative director of Jun Ashida, that has meant presenting one of Tokyo’s oldest brands through the lens of tech. Ashida debuted the brand’s spring lineup in a video by director Shimizu Yasuhiko, shot on the newest Canons using volumetric video, filming with thousands of lenses from 360 degrees. Fully-dressed models walked for a few seconds, but every angle of what they wore was captured in high definition. Making clothes look good in resolutions and angles beyond what the human eye can perceive takes effort, but Ashida enjoyed the challenge. “It was such an interesting way of filming,” she said over Zoom. “It’s been a long time since we’ve presented the Jun Ashida line during Fashion Week, and we wanted to film the collection in a way that felt futuristic.”

As a second-generation designer, Ashida grew up seeing the evolution of her father’s work. When she took over the label, she was mindful of that history, and her spring collection revisits a few silhouettes that made their first appearance three decades ago. Among them were a tiered crimson evening dress and black and white gowns with graphic shapes. “We went into the archives, but we rearranged things a little bit,” said Ashida. “We’re using my father’s design, but it doesn’t look old because we stripped things down and created this great mix of tradition and innovation. When you see those dresses, they feel modern, but they have this wonderful heritage.”

Stepping into the archives meant considering how the brand’s current customers differ from their predecessors. “We had to think about what they would want to wear after having to sit for so long, how they will approach dressing once next summer comes and they’re able to go outdoors again and be active,” said Ashida. “I played a lot with tailored jackets; they became these symbols of reentering the world for me. There are also many pants within the collection in different fabrications because you want to have something that allows you to feel comfortable and options that you can live and work in without feeling dressed down.” The desire for a beautiful evening gown, a great going-out blazer, and easy to accessorize separates never wanes, and Ashida’s versions were crowd pleasers.