The Next Big Thing

Sacai

In fashion, pedigree is everything, and Sacai designer Chitose Abe has it in droves. Working with the feted Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe at Comme des Garçons, Abe quietly honed her craft from pattern-cutting to silhouette-forming, eventually becoming a fully-fledged designer in her own right with the launch of Sacai in 1999.

Starting in the then less-developed knitwear market for her first collection, Abe’s under-the-radar stance allowed her to experiment while all the time developing a strong and devoted fashion following, culminating in a 2010 Designer of the Year Award from the Fashion Editor’s Club of Japan, along with a breakthrough Paris Autumn/Winter show that same year.

Cut to 2012 and Sacai is riding high, available in 90 doors worldwide (including cult fashionista stores Colette in Paris and Dover Street Market in London) as well as 35 stores in Japan.

The detail and texture-driven label has become beloved of those seeking classic styling and craftsmanship with an unequivocal and esoteric juxtaposition of fabric and construction.

The pristine white and glass Minamiaoyama flagship store houses the entire collection of women’s, men’s and Sacai Luck (casual wear and lingerie), all of which are manufactured in Japan, and all of which share the same timeless-but-experimental quality that’s seen them morph from publicity-shy label to the wardrobe staple you wish you’d heard of years ago.