The Japanese Art of Luxury through Sartorial Folds, a Passion for Fishing, and an Invitation to Read
After the MM6 runway, Pitti Uomo presents its second guest designer: Setchu, showcasing the FW25 collection. For creative director Satoshi Kuwata, this is his first runway show in Florence.
A Bridge Between Two Worlds
Setchu stands out as one of the most prominent innovators in Japanese fashion, blending art, fashion, and haute tailoring. The brand explores the connections between seemingly opposite cultures, finding harmonious synthesis in its looks. At the core of Setchu’s philosophy is the concept of unisex and gender fluidity, alongside a sustainable vision. The Japanese term “Mottainai”—expressing regret for waste—guides the brand’s use of ecological fabrics, often recycled, sourced from sustainable supply chains. The goal is to create modern, timeless pieces with a refined minimalism that never tires.
Satoshi Kuwata
Founder and creative director of the brand, Satoshi Kuwata has built a career rich in cultural and professional experiences. With roots in Kyoto and a life spent in Paris, Milan, London, and New York, he has developed a deep understanding of various cultures and craftsmanship. After collaborations with Givenchy, Edun, Kanye West, and Gareth Pugh, he refined his tailoring skills at institutions like H. Huntsman and Sons in Savile Row, London. In 2023, he won the prestigious LVMH Prize, and in 2024, he collaborated with Davies & Son on a bespoke collection presented in Venice during the Art Biennale. Beyond fashion, Kuwata is passionate about fishing, a pursuit he approaches with the same dedication he applies to design.
FW25 Collection: An Experience Between Art and Culture
Setchu chose an extraordinary setting for its first runway show in Florence: the historic National Central Library. The FW25 collection was displayed in the prestigious Sala Dante, alongside masterpieces from the grand-ducal collections. These include remarkable illustrated works from the Palatine Fund, dating from the 17th to the 19th century, highlighting the universal interests of the Habsburg-Lorraine Grand Dukes. This visual dialogue between antiquity and modernity reflects the cultural syncretism that inspires Kuwata’s brand.
The exhibition will be open to the public on Friday, January 17, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, offering a unique opportunity to admire the fusion of sartorial luxury and cultural tradition.
Setchu FW25 Collection
For its debut at Pitti Uomo, Setchu presents a collection focused on originality, functionality, versatility, and timeless looks.
FW 25 collection starts from classic pieces, creating functional garments that reflect an ethical design approach.
The runway show took place in Florence during Pitti Immagine on January 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM, at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze.
The title of the Setchu FW25 (Autumn/Winter 2025) collection is I WANT LESS, AND LESS THAN THAT.
FW25 collection consists of 41 co-ed looks, which reflect the designer’s intention to create a dialogue between two seemingly opposite worlds: Asian and European. In this operation of construction and deconstruction of garments, Satoshi Kuwata leaves his personal mark, creating a synthesis between culture and innovation.
Just like in the Japanese art of origami, Kuwata uses folds, seams, buttons, and interlocks to transform fabrics into true design pieces. Tailoring and the use of fine materials are at the heart of the collection. Setchu now produces in Milan, exclusively using high-quality materials typical of Made in Italy.
Kuwata, who trained at Savile Row, brings three bespoke pieces to his collection, created in collaboration with Davies & Sons, the oldest Savile Row tailor still in operation: a tailcoat, a double-breasted blue blazer with gold buttons, and a frock coat.
Another key theme of the collection is the play with lengths, inversions, and asymmetries, visible in the varying lengths of the garments or, for example, in the contrasting colors of the pockets.
A Fusion of Cultures and Timeless
The choice of location, the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, is not casual. In an era dominated by digital culture, Kuwata wanted to draw attention to the beauty of libraries, transforming this historic place into a new “book” to explore together. It is not just a fashion show, but also a cultural message brought to the runway.
Functionality, typical of Japanese discipline, is another pillar of the collection. Kuwata reflects on how a design piece can solve practical everyday needs, and so we find cuts, drapes, ribbons, and laces that not only decorate but also tell stories.
The trends of FW25 are evident with multicolored voluminous furs, oversized ponchos, and fringed tunics. In the beauty look, the models sport fish designs on their lips, referencing Kuwata’s personal passion for fishing.
Another innovation concerns the sportswear world, with deconstructed tracksuits transformed into new proposals, which only in their materials resemble classic sportswear. Denim, on the other hand, appears not in the traditional indigo blue tones, but in almost white and black variants with a worn-out effect.
Shirts, worn by women, become dresses, for example, paired with long black gloves. In knitwear, the pieces are created from components, which are combined to form the final garment, a puzzle of parts joined together with large white buttons. Among the trending colors, brown and white dominate.
An additional pop of color is provided by the multicolored fur and an oriental-printed kimono. This kimono, developed in multicolored silk jacquard, draws inspiration from one of the most famous classics of Japanese literature, The Tale of Genji, with an homoerotic reinterpretation of its plot.
