Banal Chic Bizarre “Vivid Ranger” – Menswear 2012 S/S

The 2012 S/S edition of Japan Fashion Week (aka Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week) in Tokyo is under way! Several times each day, TokyoFashion.com’s contributors are reporting back from runway shows and events all over town. Be sure to check out all of our Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo coverage.

On Friday, October 21st, Japanese label Banal Chic Bizarre showcased their 2012 Spring/Summer menswear collection on the runway at belle salle SHIBUYA FIRST.

Banal chic bizarre creators Ayano Ichige and Shun Nakagawa were born in 1983. They learned the fashion business not at school, but by designing and selling remade clothes in Tokyo. They officially launched the brand in 2002 with the concept of “eccentricity in simplicity”. They operate retail shops in Tokyo, Nagano, and Osaka under the name ADD as well as selling their work online. In addition, banal chic bizarre publishes a fashion magazine titled “√Root Magazine” [Squareroot Magazine], which is also available at both their brick and mortar and online shops.

Banal chic bizarre is a brand that the TokyoFashion staff has found exceptionally interesting. Their pieces tend to be worn by some of the more daring and creative young people we meet on the street in Harajuku.

“Vivid Ranger” was the theme of the Banal Chic Bizarre menswear 2012 S/S collection shown at Japan Fashion Week. Amateur models with masks over their faces were used in the show. The collection referenced military uniforms, emergency worker dress, and marine themes, among others. A couple of the tops featured a large bear face, which seemed a bit too cute in the context of the other pieces (perhaps a nod toward or against Japanese kawaii culture). The unique footwear also deserves a special mention. Overall, it was a solid streetwear collection from a brand that has proven time and again that they are both from and of the streets of Japan.

Click any of the Banal Chic Bizarre images below to see high resolution versions.

Banal Chic Bizarre 2012 Spring/Summer Menswear

Click any of the Banal Chic Bizarre menswear pictures to enlarge them!

External Link: Banal Chic Bizarre Official Website

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About the photographer:
As long as he is behind his camera Will is a happy man. He has photographed everything from the slums of Bangkok to the catwalks of Tokyo. He is a contract photographer for Lonely Planet, his images and photo essays have appeared in Time Out, The Japan Times, Sportswear International and a variety of other newspapers, magazines and guidebooks around the world and his photo essays from Iraq for The Griffith Review even earned him a mention in the Australian book review of the year in 2006. In addition to his media related work, Will also shoots events, portraits, weddings and the occasional CD cover. Whatever he’s working on, he always writes about his jobs and how he goes about them at Will Robb Photography.