Mame Kurogouchi Presents Its New Fall/Winter 2024 Collection: Fragments

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A continuation from last season, the 24 Fall Winter collection travels to Saga Prefecture, an epitome in the history of Japanese ceramics, this time introducing ‘Old Karatsu’, said to have flourished in the latter half of the 16^th century, as well as numerous ceramic fragments, tracing the journey of pursuing beauty over hundreds of years. The natural colour palette and rich textures, minimal silhouette, and unique pattern expressions which define Kokaratsu (Old Karatsu) are sublimated into ‘wearable ceramics’ by the designer Maiko Kurogouchi.

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Shades of grey found throughout the entire collection invite one to a journey through the traces of past creations. Before the dawn of domestic porcelain, through trial and error of potters, the grey-brown earth colour created in Karatsu region, even as fragments still reminisce the land's unique colour and traces of lost creation. Shade transitioning from reddish warm grey to beige is a yearning for the Earth seen in Saga, and the different time axes of the same land go back and forth, the memory of the flame in the kiln portrayed in orange and terracotta colours, giving warmth to the collection.

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Potters of the past painted landscapes and flowers that appeared daily in front of their eyes in Ekaratsu (Painted Karatsu). Its simple yet generous lines are translated into cord-embroidered botanical motifs that run boldly across the body of plain dresses, shirts, and sheer vests. Jacquard dresses and tops expressed in tone-on-tone, and casual chunky knits include elements of painting from Karatsu which often depicts simple and familiar motifs, blooming quietly and powerfully on various pieces. The aurora-like glaze reminiscent of Madara Karatsu is expressed onto alpaca wool coat, using hand-pouring dye and the texture of glaze expressed by blending the beautiful unevenness and finely honed pattern-making. Silk wool one-shoulder dresses and oversized shirts with lust are created through a unique process which craftsmen in Kyoto apply mochi-rice (sticky rice) to the fabric and let dry, then repeat dyeing into the cracks, creating a texture that blends into the grain, recreating the fine intrusions in the grain of ceramics. Casual pieces such as denim and knits take on the mysterious mixture of glaze unique to Korean Karatsu, giving a new look. Mishima Karatsu’s graphical rhythm, using continuous patterns such as floral stamps and line carvings, are translated into the patterns of jacquard dresses and knit pieces while preserving its original form. The beautiful down jacket with a gentle cut collar reminiscent of kimono, padded scarves with bold botanical embroidery, uneven lines of kintsugi running on knit and velour jerseys, long woolen coats and plain suit styles with flowing cuts create a modern, sartorial interpretation of the hidden, calm and rustic beauty of ceramic fragments.

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