Silent Panda RTW and Men’s Spring 2022

Courtesy of Silent Panda

A former professional baseball player turned designer for Grammy-winning artists Outkast, Samuel Taylor is far from the typical participant in Tokyo Fashion Week. But atypical is often exactly what the event could use more of, and digital formats brought on by the pandemic make it easy for smaller brands to join from anywhere in the world. Taylor’s video presentation showed him working at his sewing machine as a lone, unaccompanied gospel singer performed off camera.

Main message: Taylor showed a compact collection of streetwear, drawing inspiration from hip-hop culture and mixing it with modern tailoring. Cargo pants were a recurring theme, done in camouflage, yellow, sky blue or basic black and paired with a satin stadium jacket, a botanical print sweatshirt or a color-blocked, tipped cardigan. But the looks that stood out most were a slim-fitting tracksuit featuring a boy’s face printed across the jacket, and a shocking pink tailored suit with multiple oversize pockets on both the pants and jacket. The women’s collection was less developed than the men’s and almost felt like something of an afterthought, as it only included two long, satin dresses and a pair of frilled skirts and sweatshirts.

The result: Taylor’s marriage of luxury and streetwear, as well as casual and formal styles, felt very relevant for the times we live in. A bit more variety and more women’s options would have been nice, but a heavily-edited collection is better than one that’s not edited at all.