Japanese Menswear

Bought an Assin single/double hybrid black jacket the other day. I love when something ostensibly simple has a subtle twist, or nuance that makes it different and therefore you feel that bit more special.

Same goes for The Viridi-anne, now on sale at Cose Ipanema in Melbourne. This is a great example of simple executed brilliantly; cut, colour, structure, texture - all have a role to play.

The Viridi-anne is a Japanese menswear label with a well-earned reputation internationally for its use of superb materials, craftsmanship and style.

For the spring/summer '09 collection, ‘Breathe’ The Viridi-anne’s ever-inventive designer Tomoaki Okaniwa focused on a different way of presenting the collection.

A special conceptual film installation was produced, inspired by Japanese visual creators Shimurabros and first shown in Paris, then in Tokyo.

The Viridi-anne’s esoteric designs were born from Okaniwa's dissatisfaction with the clothes he saw around him. Although coming from a fine arts background, he began to make apparel that embodies an aesthetic motto of ‘quiet and strong’.

Of this duality in the spring/summer '09 collection, Okaniwa explains: "On the outside the designs are simple, but inside they are really strong, complex and comfortable".

The Viridi-anne is stocked internationally in leading boutiques including Cose Ipanema in Melbourne, Le Bon Marche in Paris, Vertice in London and Atelier New York.