TOGA Archives SS23 Defines Contemporary Dressing

Yasuko Furuta‘s TOGA Archives flies under the radar, a brand kept as a well-known secret for the IYKYK crowd. However, with its Spring/Summer 2023 collection — titled “Skin, Underwear, Spacious” — it seems the brand has its eyes set on domination, offering one of its most adventurous, visually intriguing, eye-catching and explorative collections to date.

It does so by referencing the work of the Japanese photographer Eiko Yamazawa. She is considered one of Japan’s greatest photographers, let alone one of its earliest women photographers and also one to have produced work either side of World War II. Her critically-acclaimed series What I Am Doing looks to highlight the every day and her typical surroundings, portraying the concept of what makes something contemporary. It’s this that influences Furuta’s SS23 collection, delivering a body of work that also comments on TOGA Archive’s understanding of the word “contemporary.”

This is achieved by the brand’s ability to tap into traditions and throw out the rule book. Scalloped details, folding in their curvaceousness, build a white top that’s contrasted with gray sleeves almost as if they’re taken from a tailored jacket. The toga — clothing, not brand name — get’s a shining moment as it appears transformed into an off-kilter, cold-shoulder-bearing shirt, while a suit blazer is punched with holes, seeing them filled with natural-like forms made from embellished embroidery.

A jeweled egg splatter appears as a brooch on the sleeveless, oversized navy blue blazer jacket, now looking more like a formal gilet. Sleeves on gray sweaters are blown out of proportion, as are the sculptural legs on a optical illusion-presenting white-and-blue one-piece.

As for knitwear, TOGA Archives goes all-in with crocheted big-button cardigans, slashed architectural numbers, and finely ribbed see-through pieces that all work to add dimension to the looks.

Take a closer look at TOGA Archives’ SS23 collection in the gallery above, and find out more online.

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