Fashion is at its most captivating when it transports its audience—whether to an imagined world of fantasy or a nostalgic reverie rooted in personal history. For Khoki, a Tokyo-based collective steadily crafting its own niche in the fashion landscape, the second full-fledged runway show was a powerful exercise in both. Staged on the 13th floor of a deserted Tokyo office building, the event was more than just a display of clothing; it was an immersive journey into a dreamscape, shaped by nature, childhood memories, and a touch of the uncanny.

With piles of autumn leaves carpeting the vast hall and the sound of hooting owls echoing in the darkness, Khoki’s presentation set a tone of mystery and wonder before a single model even walked the runway. But this theatrical setting wasn’t just for show—it underscored the brand’s evolving ethos, one that merges fantasy with reality, nostalgia with modernity, and craftsmanship with whimsy.

A Forest Comes to Life: The Power of Setting in Fashion

Fashion presentations often strive to create an atmosphere, but Khoki went a step further, crafting an environment that felt fully lived-in. The choice of setting—a forgotten hall, 13 floors above the Tokyo skyline—already carried an air of mystique, but the true magic lay in the forest floor painstakingly recreated inside the space.

It took a staggering 600 bags of leaves to build the rustling woodland, collected from designer Koki Abe’s hometown in Yamanashi. This detail speaks to Khoki’s deeply personal approach to fashion, where the setting isn’t just a backdrop but an extension of the designer’s own past. “The forest at night was the scariest thing in the world,” Abe recalled, hinting at the delicate balance between beauty and unease that the collection itself would echo.

As guests queued outside the venue, waiting in near total darkness, the show’s sound design heightened the anticipation—a surreal blend of owl calls and distant, rustling wind. When the lights finally flickered on, a live quintet of musicians—including an accordionist, flautist, violinist, cellist, and violist—began playing a dissonant, otherworldly score. The result was a layered sensory experience, one that blurred the lines between fashion, art, and performance.

Khoki’s Growing Identity: The Art of Unexpected Pairings

At the heart of Khoki’s appeal is its willingness to embrace the unexpected. It’s a brand that thrives on contradiction, piecing together elements that seem, at first glance, completely incongruous—until they aren’t.

The Charm of Imperfection

This season, that ethos translated into garments that felt both deliberately unfinished and exquisitely detailed. Take the faded flannel shirts, for instance—classic, lived-in staples that suddenly became something out of a Renaissance painting, thanks to patches of white broderie anglaise spilling from the collar like a ruff.

Or the lace-covered T-shirts and neckties, where delicate floral embroidery crept up the fabric like vines overtaking an abandoned castle wall. In these details, Khoki’s romantic surrealism shines through, proving that fashion can be both playful and poetic without veering into costume territory.

Workwear Meets Fantasy

Even the brand’s more utilitarian pieces carried an air of storybook nostalgia. Boxy workwear jackets—silhouettes reminiscent of Carhartt’s rugged durability—were softened by delicate embellishments, while fleeces dusted with pearl studs evoked something almost regal, despite their outdoor practicality.

Perhaps the most striking example of this fantasy-meets-reality interplay came in the form of down jackets covered in cross-stitched unicorns, foxes, and cherry blossom trees. In anyone else’s hands, such imagery might feel overtly kitsch, but Khoki balances these fairytale motifs with understated tailoring and a muted palette, ensuring that even the most whimsical designs remain wearable and sophisticated.

A Lesson in Silhouette and Texture

Beyond its enchanting surface details, Khoki’s latest collection showcased an evolution in silhouette. Billowing tailoring, oversized barrel-leg jeans, and lace-embroidered hoodies added depth to the lineup, further emphasizing the brand’s ability to transform everyday staples into something extraordinary.

The play on texture was equally masterful, with sheer lace juxtaposed against heavy wool, and silky linings peeking out from beneath structured outerwear. These contrasts reinforce Khoki’s design philosophy, where the beauty lies in the mixing, layering, and unexpected harmonies.

Fashion as Personal Storytelling

The real magic of Khoki’s show wasn’t just in the individual garments but in the way everything felt deeply personal. This was not just a collection—it was a memory made tangible.

By bringing his childhood forest into the heart of Tokyo, Koki Abe turned the runway into something more than just a stage for clothes—it became a portal into his past, his imagination, and his evolving creative vision. There’s something undeniably moving about that level of sincerity in fashion, especially in an industry often criticized for its fleeting trends and surface-level spectacle.

Khoki proves that fantasy in fashion doesn’t have to be out of reach. It can exist in the lace creeping up the collar of a well-worn flannel or the familiar comfort of a fleece jacket reimagined with unexpected embellishments. It’s about taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary, crafting worlds that feel transportive but still grounded in reality.

The Future of Khoki: A Brand to Watch

With each season, Khoki’s voice grows stronger, and if this runway is any indication, it’s a brand poised to break through on a larger scale. The label’s ability to balance high-concept storytelling with real-world wearability is a rare feat, one that positions it among the most exciting emerging names in fashion.

Looking ahead, it’s clear that Khoki isn’t interested in following trends—it’s interested in crafting its own universe, piece by piece. And if this season’s forest fantasy is any measure, that universe is only going to become richer, deeper, and even more enchanting.

For fashion lovers, that’s an invitation well worth accepting.

No comments yet.