Everyday Is A Special Occasion At ANTEPRIMA FW25
“I hope that the women who see and wear this collection will feel empowered to interpret it freely, styling it in their own unique ways” says ANTEPRIMA creative director, Izumi Ogino, who saw contemporary artist Izumi Kato as inspiration for her Fall-Winter 2025/26 show, “PARADOX.” The painter-sculptor's playful forms, organic shapes, and signature color palette were woven throughout ANTEPRIMA’s work-to-playwear silhouettes. The Milan Fashion Week show was a museum of installations by Kato, making for a fully immersive experience, where fellow Japanese artists UNA+MATCHA, Hina Kurose, and Moeka Nozaki sat in attendance.
A soft spot for cherry red stands out most in works by Kato, which he uses generously when finger-painting the eyes and other defining characteristics of his abstract-surrealist portraits. Lemon yellow and electric blue make notable appearances against the earth tone tapestry of “PARADOX,” but red basks in favoritism, bleeding through a pair of gloves uniquely cropped at the wrists and cut to leave a curve of negative space, perfect for easily checking the time on a vintage workhorse Seiko. These ribbons of red make their way throughout the collection in the form of soft knits and long sleeve turtlenecks, peeking out from the crisp layers of light pink and baby blue button-ups, sheltered under dark neutrals so popular in the outerwear trends of Tokyo, where both Ogino and Kato reside.
“PARADOX” is feminine-leaning, but ultimately androgynous. Its loose-fitting silhouettes embody the comfort-craving soul of a creative at work, with a few models cradling books in the arms of their oversized blazers and sweaters, and another sporting a scarf so large it could double as a blanket. Active traces of GORP-core speak for the versatility of “PARADOX,” with waterproof anoraks and windbreakers double-layered in muted shades of purple, mustard, and seafoam green.
As many designers shift their attention to anti-ankle sock trends this season, Ogino joins in on the fun. A variety of calf and mid-length designs are a main focus in “PARADOX,” color popping in looks balanced by boyish, wide-cut shorts and lots of leg. Here, Ogino finds the ultimate opportunity to play with pattern and texture: thick stripes, pastels, plaids, and a fuzzy mohair-alpaca mix are complemented by Velvet loafers in midnight shades of blue and noir.
The highlight of ANTEPRIMA is in no doubt Ogino’s accessories, specifically her Wire Bags, which she introduced in 1998. The hero pieces of “PARADOX” sway from oversized arm-candy clutches to beaded minaudières so small one could hardly fit a crystal and a credit card. Artfully embellished accessories covered in pearls, a beaded duck, and tiny embroideries of Kato’s paintings are the antithesis of the utilitarianism of Ogino’s collection, indeed the “PARADOX” she intended.
Within “PARADOX,” Ogino taps into the everyday necessity of a personal capsule collection: a formula meant for school, work, play, and sitting on the subway, iced with accessories that assert confidence and personality. Everything from her beaded bags to her bold color palette tell a story, one that Ogino chooses to let her audience interpret for themselves: “What the viewer thinks of the piece is more important than what I think.”
