Anrealage AW23

My fashion adventures continued from the Dawei show to Anrealage. As my new well-dressed friend in a red tartan kilt and I walked across town to the next venue, we stopped at a red light and I recognized someone I met in my last in-person shows in 2020. I happily waved her down and we struck up a conversation, turns out her phone died and she was looking to go to the same show. Perfect! Another magical Fashion Week moment, that would make this number 2.

The line at the Anrealage show was a block long. There was no way I was going to wait in that. There were people everywhere. The usual cast of influencers, photographers, press and buyers. The street was fully taken over by fashion show attendees and we had all forgotten that cars still drove down this narrow street. As drivers became increasingly (and rightfully) impatient with the crowd, a car came dangerously close to driving over an influencer's green silk satin gown. Thankfully, I found a shortcut in and found my seat immediately.

At first, models appeared on stage in all white ensembles. One after another in silhouettes that looked reminiscent of fashion seen in Japanese anime. I had no idea what I was looking at and was intrigued by this all white collection. Then I noticed there were two bars of UV lighting hanging from the ceiling. The first set of models stood beneath the lights and waited. The lights started to move down towards the models and a brand new color and pattern started to appear on the white clothing. The room exploded with gasps and applause. The transformation of an entire look before my eyes due to a (potentially) natural occurrence was my magical moment number 3.

Anrealage has always been a brand that paid special attention to the technology in clothing. This was just another fantastic example of the next level that textile science could be taken to. Although the technology is not new, it was seen in the '80s with hyper shirts and gloves that changed color in temperature or light exposure, the reinvention of it for high fashion seemed revolutionary. Entire looks can be reinterpreted when they are outdoors versus indoors. In a way, this reflects how we present ourselves inside and out. We appear in a different pattern and color when we are out and show ourselves to the world. When we come back in to our own space, those colors and patterns disappear and we are back to our blank natural selves.

A scientist of fashion, Kunihikio Morinaga presented his own wearable take on umwelt (German for 'environment' or 'surround-world'), a 19th century concept exploring how living beings percieve their environment. The way different organisms perceive the world through sensory data is not "equal". A "single yellow flower" through the eyes of an insect is not the same as it is perceived through the eyes of a human. For Morinaga the concept of umwelten serves as a metaphor for the need to celebrate diversity. "We are all one race, even if how I see my world is not equal to how you see your world", he says.