Takuya angel

Takuya Angel is the Japanese fashion label started by Takuya Sawada. The brand is well known for its assimilation of ancient, traditional Japanese fashions with modern materials and influences including Western designs, Japanese anime and manga, and a wide array of technologically enhanced materials such as polyester.

History

Takuya Sawada started Takuya Angel in 1995 shortly after the devastating Kobe Earthquake at the age of 28. The earthquake caused Sawada to turn his attention to the past, before the Post-World War II era of Western fashion, to the traditional fashions and styles of Japanese culture. He immediately opened his shop in Tokyo and started producing clothing that allowed him to combine the old with the new. Today, Takuya Angel operates two shop locations with combined revenue of 30 Million Yen a year. However, the brand’s recognition in Japan and abroad is quickly growing as the unique style finds its fit in a fashion culture focused heavily on Western styles.

Influences

Takuya Sawada’s influences are largely rooted in Japanese history as he states, “I wanted to create something new. I always thought it would be wonderful if everybody wore kimono. I figured it should be possible to combine clothes from Jomon Era (10,000 BC ~ 300 AD) with those of modern times…I myself wanted to wear things like that.”

The Takuya Angel brand takes those historical fashion references and combines them with concepts from the West, fantasy worlds, and modern Japan. His use of bright colors to compliment darker grays and blacks while using any number of materials such as Cotton, Rayon, and Cupra have made the Takuya Angel brand incredibly unique in Japanese fashion. Pattern making is done by Takuya’s other designers as he is completely self taught and has no formal training in patterning.

A large number of designs in the Takuya Angel brand are inspired by the Samurai styles of ancient times, as is reflected in the names of many of the products, including Hitatare, Hakama, Geta, Haori, and Kyahan. These ancient designs are then adapted for modern living, using whatever materials are needed – from cupra and polyester to velvet and fur. Some creations are even inspired by modern mange and anime.

Shop Locations

Takuya Angel is a relatively small label with a limited reach but a devoted customer base. Ordering outside of Japan is hard short of finding a specialty import service. For those living in Japan, the flagship store is located at:

• COXY176 Bldg 203
• 1-7-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
• Tokyo 150-0001
• (81) 03-3478-5867

External Links

• Official Website