Collaboration was the order of business at Junya Watanabe MAN SS24 which saw the Japanese designer linking up with over a dozen different brands from Levi’s to Stussy, Brooks Brothers to C.P. Company. Even though there was not one collab that took precedence over another, Watanabe stated in his show notes that the main collaborator on the collection was… himself. Or, specifically the womenswear branch of Junya Watanabe.

The show itself was a stunningly gothic affair. Each model wore pitch-black hairstyles that waved and spiked in every direction, like Robert Smith mixed with Edward Scissorhands. Eyebrows were half-shaven off or sported numerous slits.

The clothes were incredibly playful and felt like an ode to craft. A pair of denim jeans crafted from several other pairs of Levi’s denim jeans and exquisitely constructed jackets made from leather belts were major. Yes, perhaps you’d have to be in a Norwegian death metal band to be able to pull them off but why not try? A specific shout-out has to be made to the insane peaked cagoule that zips all the way to the forehead and has tinted lenses built in. It was sort of giving plague doctor.