KOZABURO SS24 Backstage!
by Anna Barr
Born and raised in Tokyo, Kozaburo Akasaka gained professional experiences with prestigious designers in New York such as Thom Browne. Following his LVMH nomination in 2017, KOZABURO is now a leading fixture at New York Fashion Week. We caught up with the designer following his show to further explore the collection.
If we saw your moodboard for SS24, what would we find?
Landscape Photos, Cave Digger Ra Paulette, and Moebius.
You created a fictional world, what was your inspiration?
Spirit.
Do you listen to music in your atelier? What were you listen to while working on Land of Setting Sun?
A playlist was actually made for this collection. Pure Morning by Placebo, Easy On me by Adele, Days like z’s by Low, Legendary Curse by Lou Reed.
What role does sustainability play in your work?
The origin of my brand and how I grew up is “no waste is better”. It also falls in line with the spiritual essence of the brand, everything is circular. In general I feel as if sustainability is viewed as a trend and we do not deny this positive impact. What we focus on is the bigger impact of etiquette, spirituality and morality. There is meaning in trying though we are still small, educating the industry is meaningful for our brand.
You grew up in Japan in the 90s. Gen Z has a love affair with this era. Do you have a favorite decade?
1969, this is a time I dream about. The 90’s was a twisted time, all times were twisted times but the 90’s was a precursor to how things are now.
Finally, if you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why?
The Coyote, in Native American Mythology, is considered a bridge between the spiritual realm and our realm.
Take a look below at KOZABURO‘s Spring/Summer 2024 backstage shot by Jack Buster during New York Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
Salomon FW23 Odyssey ELMT Mid/Low
DIOR MEN Tailoring Silhouettes
Carhartt WIP’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection keeps the brand’s rugged workwear spirit while mixing in fresh elements.
Billionaire Boys Club’s second drop for Fall/Winter 2025 is a celebration of Jamaican sound system culture.
“MiMa is first and foremost a space for discovery and inspiration. That was a core idea from the very beginning, both in the way we curated the selection and in how we designed the space itself.”
FANG NYC’s FW25 collection pulls from creative director Fang Guo’s travels, from Georgia’s concrete Kartlis Deda monument to Crete’s pink sand beaches, to play with contrasts.
Reebok and multitalented artist Tobe Nwigwe are back with the second chapter of their collaborative “Reebok x Chukwu” partnership.
Rihanna’s FENTY x PUMA collaboration returns with a fresh take on football-inspired fashion.
To celebrate the release of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II on PlayStation 5, Ninja Theory has teamed up with London’s Passarella Death Squad for a limited capsule collection.
ERL marks its fifth anniversary with a new version of its signature skate shoe, the Electric Blue Vamp.
Skepta and PUMA are back with a tight, all-black collection that strips streetwear down to its essentials.
Wood Wood enters a new chapter with its FW25 Double A campaign, the first collection under creative director Brian SS Jensen and head of design Gitte Wetter.
Leandro da Silva photographed by Emil Huseynzade and styled by Vladimir Frol de Moura, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
PUMA is re-releasing its special 2003 H-Street sneakers in two Jamaica-inspired colorways, just in time for Notting Hill Carnival.
Delvinas and Antón lensed by Willy Villacorta and styled by María Hernandez, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
Viegas is someone who grew up immersed in music and community, with a desire to create spaces where people feel seen and free.
Johnatan Aba and Yoni Goor captured by the lens of Italo Gaspar and styled by Marchesini Matilde & Stefani Sofia, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
Stüssy keeps growing, and its newest store in Biarritz, France, is proof.
DJOOKE opens up about his journey from Portuguese small towns to Lisbon’s DJ scene, the birth of iconic LGBTQ+ party BALAGAN, and his vision for inclusive nightlife.
Nicolas Benitez at New Icon photographed by Diego Bigolin and styled by Daniel Zazueta, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
Massimo Osti Studio’s latest collection, Continuative Garments, stays true to the brand’s philosophy: clothes should work effortlessly in everyday life.
For Fall/Winter 2025, Billionaire Boys Club turns its focus to Jamaican sound system culture, drawing from the raw energy of dancehall, reggae, and lovers rock.
Salomon has teamed up with JJJJound to reimagine the XT-6 in two very different ways.
The fragrance captures the fleeting bloom of the osmanthus flower, a winter surprise in Kyoto.
Borsalino’s Fall/Winter 2025 campaign, captured by Pablo di Prima and shaped by Agata Belcen’s art direction, turns hats into something more than accessories. They become extensions of the people wearing them, subtle yet full of presence.
The brand’s… »
A reimagined version of their classic Plantaris, this ultra-limited release swaps the usual for titanium, turning a familiar shape into something that feels like it’s from 2075.
With a remarkable voice that challenges the status quo, Marval Rex is redefining cultural + transgender identities through the lens of comedy, performance, and thoughtful discourse.
SAVVA at Angels Project photographed and styled by Alberto Saguar, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
Rombaut’s new drop, Ground I, is the latest step in their barefoot series, a shoe that keeps getting simpler, quieter, more like a sculpture than just footwear.
Rick Owens’s first major retrospective in Paris, Temple of Love, transforms the Palais Galliera into a ritualistic sanctuary.
Alex Brendon photographed by Virginia Navarro and styled by Tomás Jaramillo, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
At Selfridges’ Summer of Sound: Music Talks, Allie X and Charles Jeffrey sat down to discuss how music and fashion shape an artist’s visual identity.
