Runway Archives: Shinichiro Arakawa SS98

Shinichiro Arakawa’s journey in fashion design spans the globe. Relocating from Japan to Europe in his early adulthood, his time interning under Christopher Nemeth in London inspired him to launch his own label. Showing his first collection in 1993, Arakawa then bounced between Paris and Tokyo, leveraging his garments as canvases for cultural commentary. For Spring/Summer 1998, Arakawa presented ‘To All Hard Workers.’ The clothes acted as a satire on work-life balance, using silkworms as a metaphor for the average university student or salaryman. “The collection revolved around the contrast between the silkworm, which sacrifices itself for the silk that humans wear, and the wild silkworm, called ‘kusamushi,’ which belongs to the same species but can fly freely,” Arakawa told ARCHIVE.pdf in 2024.  Filling the runway with distressed knits, tattered tailoring and avant-garde officewear, disheveled models appeared as if they had emerged from cocoons and wound up in street fights. In recent years, Arakawa has focused on an ongoing collaboration with Honda, creating items that combine functionality with his signature introspective vision.  Below, get inspired by the artistic collection and explore pieces grounded in experimental corporate dress codes.