It was a big moment. For Berlin Fashion Week and for tailoring. But let’s start at the beginning. Every season, the Berlin Senate sponsors the “Berlin Contemporary” competition to promote innovation, sustainability, and creative diversity. Among the winners, who all receive a cash prize, there are often international labels. This season, one of them was the Japanese label John Lawrence Sullivan, under the creative direction of Arashi Yanagawa. In terms of visibility and reputation, this was a win for Berlin. It was not a random choice for Yanagawa.
The former boxer draws inspiration for his work not only from his past as a professional athlete, but also from metal music and metal subcultures. He’s included womenswear in his creative repertoire since 2010. At John Lawrence Sullivan that primarily means tailoring. After his uncle introduced him to the Rolling Stones, Yanagawa fell in love with their British suits and began to incorporate the look during high school, laying the first foundation for his career.
“I learned the rules of tailoring in order to break them,” said Yanagawa backstage. The shoulders on jackets fell forward and the arm bends were artificially exaggerated. And when models put on the first designs, it became clear why. Almost intuitively, the body assumed a bent position, not submissive or hunched, but rather leaning forward and in defense mode. “As in boxing, it’s not about blind attack; the key is self-defense,” Yanagawa noted. While he most often draws clean silhouettes for the female looks, there are occasional bursts of silver leather or faux fur arm warmers on a minimalist tuxedo in his menswear.
Why Berlin? It wasn’t just the opportunity to participate in the competition. “I’m a big fan of many German music artists who play a role in the metal scene. But my fashion also has a lot of industrial character elements that strike me as very German. It’s a great synergy and the perfect place to present my designs,” Yanagawa explained. Berlin Fashion Week would be lucky if this turned into a longer partnership. And considering the huge applause after the show, so would John Lawrence Sullivan.
