SHINYAKOZUKA FW26 Was Inspired by "One Single Glove" & the Paintings of Matisse

Summary

• SHINYAKOZUKA’s FW26 Pitti Uomo show used a “lost glove” metaphor and Matisse’s Fauvism to explore themes of home, light, and human empathy.

• The collection featured brushed knitwear, toile prints, and a Reebok collaboration, blending French workwear silhouettes with poetic, handcrafted details.

“Why is there always one single glove lying on the ground?” is how SHINYAKOZUKA began and ended the show notes for his FW26 runway show at Fortezza da Basso for Pitti Uomo 109. The extensive show notes read like a poem, putting words to the snow-covered set, which took the spectators on a quiet winter walk.

Kozuka ponders the single lost glove one would encounter in the snow as a metaphor: “The lone glove is both a home and a lighthouse”. “A place you can always return to—and a quiet light showing you the way home,”  he added. The designer also cited Matisse as an inspiration, particularly the way that the French painter’s chapel frescoes could evoke such emotion with single, unbroken strokes. Matisse hailed from the Fauvist art movement, which aimed to capture emotional rather than stark realism.

In a way, the Japanese designer, who studied at Central Saint Martins, has historically used his runways as a living expression of his brand’s mood and direction — and this was no exception.

The opening looks conveyed the feel of a nighttime stroll through smoky, brushed wool scenography. The gray palette of the outerwear and suits found contrast with a white and indigo toile print depicting silhouettes of the moon, the lighthouse, and the lost glove. Elsewhere,  an all-matching bright blue number evokes styles of French workwear from the 1930s, and the deep blue often used by Matisse.

Workwear silhouettes like chore coats and aprons appeared in classic canvas and were then reimagined in plush knitted fabrics. Knitwear continued to be a highlight, featuring snowy brushed designs and winter park life intarsia scenes. Details like buttons were used to depict falling snow, while white contrast stitching gave tailored standards a crafty touch. 

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For accessories, handwritten bag graphics — a signature style for the brand — leaned further into the poetic inspirations named in the show notes. The runway presentations also revealed what appears to be an upcoming Reebok Club C collaboration featuring a snow-covered upper graphic.

Clothing is a unique human artifact because it stays in direct contact with the body longer than other objects. He conveys that the art of clothing is a poetry that evokes emotion, because its shape and style are designed around the human experience. A glove is only a glove because it’s shaped like a hand. 

Kozuka’s musings on art and inspiration were summed up in one word: “empathy” — something a machine can’t replicate.” “That is the kind of design I want to create,” he concluded.

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