Teppei Fujita, Rising Star of Men’s Fashion

With silhouettes that tread the line between sophistication and the destruction of form, Sulvam is incontestably one of the most on-trend Japanese brands of the moment. PEN sat down with Teppei Fujita, rising star of the fashion world and graduate of the Bunka Fashion School, Tokyo. After having cut his teeth with the great Yohji Yamamoto, the designer set out on his own in 2014 with the menswear label Sulvam.

Early 2020 saw the hotly anticipated Men’s Paris Fashion Week. Fujita and his team have been participating in the French iteration of the event for just over a year, beginning with the presentation of their 2019 spring-summer collection for Sulvam. Prior to this, the brand was doing shows in Milan, and had the privilege of being invited by Pitti Uomo – the world famous mens fashion salon in Florence. For the designer though, Paris is all about visibility, ‘it costs much more but we decided to be here’, he says.

‘Fashion is deeply integrated into culture in France. I like seeing people who dress very classic but are well done walking around the city’. The notion of classic French style with simple yet well-cut pieces certainly complements the brand image, making the move to Paris seem evident.

For his most recent collection, Fujita mostly worked on the detailing of his pieces, in order to encourage viewers to ‘dress with intent’. This gave way to carefully constructed silhouettes with deconstructed unisex cuts and a lightness of form. The collection was above all sober, with long coats and asymmetrical jackets, slashed jumpers and velvet suits with striking colours that subtly shift under the light.

Fujita reveals that his creative process only begins to emerge once he starts sketching. ‘I basically have no inspiration from specific things like movies or music. I don’t draw designs or sketches. My creative process starts when I start drawing the pattern making line. For me, the pattern drawing paper is the design sketch which transform prototypes into actual clothing’.

While the design process is largely led by the emotions of the designer, the house is nonetheless able to entice a rather broad clientele, from trendy teenagers to stylish sexagenarians. ‘I’ve noticed that people who wear Sulvam are generally people who are themselves. And that makes me happy’, he adds. For the moment Sulvam just has its studio based in Japan, however the designer hopes to open another in Paris, followed by his first ever boutique.

In the meanwhile, to keep up to date with Sulvam’s latest moves,  you can follow here.