ADEAM

The ADEAM Fall 2014 Collection 

“The train came out of the long border tunnel – and there was the snow country. The night had turned white.” This is one of the most beautiful lines of Japanese literature that opens Yasunari Kawabata’s novel, Snow Country. This novel tells the tale of love between a novelist from Tokyo and a provincial geisha, set in the hot spring town of Yuzawa. I was drawn to the stark beauty of the heroine, Komako, that captivates even the most idle flâneur. The contrast between her white porcelain skin and her blushed cheeks conjures the image of a single pink chrysanthemum blossoming in the snow land of rural Japan. Komako and her traditional Japanese beauty became the starting point of the collection, with silhouettes influenced by kimono and hakama, a long pleated culotte popular during the Taisho to Showa Period in Japan. Fabrications of a classic kimono influenced the textiles, with obi-inspired brocade and silver swallow print inspired by Taisho Period kimono patterns. I also looked to the protagonist of the story, Shimamura, for inspiration. 1930s in Japan was a time when men’s fashion was westernized and British-style tailors became popular in Tokyo. Urban dilettantes like Shimamura wore tailored suits and topcoats. The ADEAM girl has a little bit of both – the feminine delicateness of Komako and the carefree ruggedness of Shimamura. 

 

A Native Japanese, Hanako was born in Tokyo and moved to

New York City at the age of 5, spending most of her childhood there. She

attended Columbia University in the City of New York, and studied

Anthropology and Art History. While in college, Hanako partook in various

fashion internships, developing an undying love for fashion. In 2011,

Hanako launched her own label ADEAM with a capsule collection of 15

pieces. In March 2012, ADEAM was invited by the Japanese government

to present its Fall 2012 collection at Shanghai Fashion Week. ADEAM

showed its Spring 2013 collection at Tokyo Fashion Week, and debuted at

New York Fashion Week for Fall 2013. Inspired by her two hometowns

Tokyo and New York, Hanako continues to create collections that infuse

art and wearability.