Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist

IN 2010, TAKAHIRO MIYASHITA LAUNCHED HIS BRAND TAKAHIROMIYASHITA THESOLOIST, DECIDING, AS THE NAME IMPLIES, TO BE THE ONLY ONE ON ITS DESIGN TEAM. INSPIRED BY HIS PERSONAL STYLE, MIYASHITA BEGAN CREATING, SLOWLY, DESIGNING UNSTRUCTURED, MULTILAYERED LOOKS. IN 2018, THE PITTI UOMO TRADE FAIR IN FLORENCE INVITED HIM TO STAGE A FALL/WINTER 2018 SHOW WITH UNDERCOVER, WHICH WAS HIS RETURN TO RUNWAY SHOWS (HIS EXPERIENCE WITH A PREVIOUS BRAND, NUMBER (N)INE, HAD PUT HIM OFF). AFTER THE SHOW’S SUCCESS, HE DECIDED TO STAGE HIS FALL/WINTER 2019 AT PARIS FASHION WEEK.

INFLUENCED BY MUSICIANS AND GROUPS SUCH AS NIRVANA AND THE BEATLES, MIYASHITA'S DESIGN IDEAS WERE ALSO FORMED AND SHAPED BY WESTERN AMERICANA IN HIS YOUTH. HIS DARK MULTILAYERED COLLECTIONS FEATURE CONTRASTING PROPORTIONS AS WELL AS ASYMMETRIC STYLING AND EVER-CHANGING CONCEPTUAL THEMES. CHARLES PETERSON’S PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SEATTLE GRUNGE SCENE WERE A PRINCIPAL ELEMENT OF HIS GRAPHIC AND MULTIPLE PATCHED, SPRING/SUMMER 2019 COLLECTION.

HIS CLOTHES ARE COMPLEX, WITH THOSE FROM HIS FIRST PARIS SHOW FEATURING MULTIPLE ZIPPERS, REMOVABLE LININGS, AND HARNESSES. DIVERSE ELEMENTS SUCH AS CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S FILM "MODERN TIMES", AS WELL AS "THE JOKER" AND THE WORK OF JAPANESE ARTIST KOSUKE ICHIKAWA, WERE INSPIRATIONS FOR THESOLOIST FALL/WINTER 2020 COLLECTION. DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE DESIGN, SOLOIST’S CLOTHES CAN BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. A GOOD PART OF EACH COLLECTION IS MADE UP, THEREFORE, OF MORE ACCESSIBLE PIECES LIKE T-SHIRTS, JEANS, AND HOODIES THAT ARE NOT SHOWN ON THE RUNWAY BUT ARE STILL DESIGNED AND MADE WITH AS MUCH DETAIL AND CARE AS ANY OTHER MORE EXPENSIVE PIECES.

TAKAHIRO MIYASHITA HAS ACQUIRED A CULT FOLLOWING, AND HIS SENSE OF CREATIVITY IS PARTICULARLY VALUED. HIS GARMENTS ARE RENOWNED FOR THEIR LEVEL OF DETAIL AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION, REALLY DIFFERENTIATING THE BRAND FROM OTHERS ON THE MARKET. AS WELL AS 5 BRANDED BOUTIQUES IN JAPAN, 55 STORES IN JAPAN AS WELL AS 60 STORES IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING SELFRIDGES AND INDEPENDENT BOUTIQUES LIKE IF IN NEW YORK AND MAXFIELD IN LOS ANGELES STOCK THESOLOIST, GENERATING ABOUT $7.7MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE.