Nigo is one of the most influential streetwear greats of the moment and his star is high: the founder of the cult label A Bathing Ape was appointed creative head of Kenzo last year. Now he is giving an insight into his vintage archive for the first time in an exhibition.
Exactly, it’s not a retrospective of his own work, which includes founding the labels Human Made and Billionaire Boys Club. Rather, with more than 500 exhibits, it provides a deep insight into the source of his creativity.
And his vintage archive has been on display at Tokyo’s Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum since September 14 of all times. The museum is part of his alma mater, the renowned Bunka Fashion College, which Nigo has often jokingly said in the past that he learned nothing about there.
The future is in the past
Nigo, whose real name is Tomoaki Nagao, started collecting clothes when he was a teenager. His treasures, which are now on display, include Levi’s denim shirts from the 1920s and a ‘souvenir jacket’ from the 1950s. The latter were inspired by baseball jackets and were often used by US soldiers after the end of World War II as a reminder of their time in Japan. The souvenir was sometimes even made from the silk of used parachutes and embroidered with military motifs or Japanese symbols like cherry blossoms.
The title of the exhibition “The Future is in the Past” not only refers to the vintage treasures on display. The motto has always been the approach to creating Nigo.
“My personal archive, which until now has remained mostly private, was the source of my craftsmanship – it guided and supported me on my creative path,” says Nigo in a post on his label’s Human Made website. He has applied much of what he learned from the collection to his Human Made collections and other areas.
Source of inspiration for students
He thanks his alma mater, where he met undercover designer Jun Takahashi, for the opportunity to exhibit his archive. The two opened the streetwear store Nowhere together almost 30 years ago and thus established their career in the scene.
“I hope this exhibition can serve as a stimulus and inspiration for both students and fashion enthusiasts here in Japan and overseas,” says Nigo.
Perhaps he now hopes to help the students with the exhibition, which can be seen until November 13th. So that she – unlike him back then – could learn something at school.
