RUNWAY REDUX

Y2K, Pop-Punk, and Aughts Harajuku: A Vibe Shift is Afoot at Adeam

Forget bicoastal—Adeam’s CEO and creative director Hanako Maeda’s latest collection draws on her bicontinental youth. Inspired by Y2K’s cultural renaissance, Maeda explores a different interpretation of femininity with pieces steeped in pop-punk influences from her teenage years spent listening to the likes of Green Day, Blink-182, and Dashboard Confessional, as well as reading the manga series “Nana,” in which two 20-something women navigate Tokyo’s rock music scene. Her take on adolescent angst isn’t cringe, rather “a marriage of something edgier and cooler with something more romantic,” she tells Surface.

Left: A collage of polaroids from Fall/Winter 2023 collection fittings. Right: Maeda's favorite look, worn on the runway. Credit: Jenna Adrian-Diaz.

Runway Redux is a fashion column in which we ask a designer to reflect on a new collection; this week, Surface reports from behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week.

Name: Hanako Maeda

Instagram: @adeam

Describe this collection in three words.  Punk, powerful, kawaii.

Collection concept sketches. Credit: Adeam

Which look is your favorite? I love look two [a black, puff-sleeve gown with ruffled train and plunge neckline] worn by Yuka, a Japanese model and also my personal friend. It captures a bit more of the Japanese aesthetic and feels more kawaii and Gothic Lolita [ The name for Japanese style that draws influences from Victorian and Rococo fashion].

What was the inspiration behind it? My youth; shopping and spending time in Harajuku in the late ‘90s and early 2000s and seeing all the girls’ dresses. 

Attending any fun parties or events this week? I’m excited to celebrate with my family. I don’t have anything planned, but I want to do something very intimate.

Why did you choose to show in New York instead of another fashion week? I grew up in New York, so it feels like home to me. I’ve always shown here. I feel like we’re in post-pandemic times and there’s a lot of excitement to dress up and have fun with fashion. 

Left: Maeda sews buttons onto at tartan shirt for her Adeam Ichi collection. Credit: Adeam.
The designer, after the show.
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