Sacai

Sacai was established in 1999 by Chitose Abe as a small knitwear project and has sinceblossomed into a globally distributed luxury fashion company.

While her collections may appear to be about femininity, Abe’s interest is in creating clothes thatare entirely unique and timeless, while also being innovative and experimental. Contrastedfabric textures such as knits, juxtaposed with super fine woven fabrics, using techniques basedon reinterpretations of garment patterns.

This transforms the pieces into unexpected shapesand silhouettes. To Abe, who is influenced by observing her surroundings and the functions ofdaily life, the Sacai collection has a distinctive elegance that is based on renderings andtransformations of classical items. The result is a collection of items that can transition easilythroughout a single day’s activities, not to be reserved only for special occasions.

In addition to the Sacai main line, the Sacai Luck collection which was initially introduced as alingerie collection in Fall of 2006, has diversified and expanded to include loungewear from the2010 Spring & Summer collection. Sacai Luck is characterized by unexpected combinations ofmaterials and an its exquisite balance of light and delicate fabrics like tulle, silk, and cotton.The Sacai men’s collection launched in Spring of 2009 is based on the same philosophy with asimilar approach to Abe’s women’s collection. Carefully crafted staple items for men imbuedwith a touch of elegance.

Since the March 2006, Abe has also created a collaborative capsule collection with her almamater called Sacai Gem, which is available exclusively through the Dover Street Market storesin London, Ginza, and New York. Abe was invited to design a mini-collection with Moncler, fromthe 2010 Spring & Summer collection until the 2012 Autumn & Winter collection.

Sacai held its first runway show during the 2011 Autumn & Winter fashion week in Paris. While2012 saw the addition of Karl Templer as the stylist for the shows. Beginning with the 2015Spring & Summer collection, he also added campaign creative direction to his responsibilities.This year’s campaign also saw the addition of photographer Craig McDean.

In September 2011, Sacai opened their first flagship store in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo. Theconcept behind the store was to create an environment that not only reflects Abe's vision as adesigner but for it to be a retail store with a concept that is in keeping with the verisimilitude ofTokyo dynamic city culture. The store carries all of sacai lines including the sacai women's,men’s collections, and sacai luck. The stores is merchandised is ever changing themes with allthe collections mixed together at times, and is re-arranged several times each season.In the 2015 Spring collection, Sacai began a collaboration with sportswear icon Nike. TheNikeLab capsule collection, began with Chitose taking iconic classic sportswear items, mixingthem with new materials, transforming them into something new and unexpected. Creatingitems that were both uniquely Sacai while maintaining the Nike aesthetic at the same time.

2015 also saw the release of Sacai A to Z, a coffee table book by Rizzoli. In true Sacai fashion,the various aspects that make up Sacai, are deconstructed and rearranged in a new way,assigning meaning to each letter and how it relates to Sacai. With essay contributions fromvarious fashion editors, it provides both a great introduction to newcomers to the brand as wellas longtime fans an in depth look.

The Sacai collection is available in 150 doors worldwide and 54 doors in Japan.

Chitose Abe of Sacai was honored with the Designer of the Year Award by the Fashion Editor’sClub of Japan in 2009, as well as the Grand Prix of the 25th and 33rd Mainichi NewspaperFashion Award in 2007 and 2015.