Inspired by Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky’s 1962 film, Ivan’s Childhood, which portrays a boy who is torn between past and present, war and peace and happiness and pain, and the exchange and friendship between photographer Sonya Kydeeva, who captures the evanescence and fragility of contemporary youth, YUTA YAJIMA‘s Soul Asylum collection is product of the influence by two great Russian artists and their works.

The garments, as well as the embroidery graphics were heavily influenced by Tarkovsky’s world, WWII Russian military uniforms and Kydeeva’s portrayal of adolescence. The Japan-made white denim embellished with satin ribbons signifies purity and innocence, and creates a new impression on military wear that is conventionally seen as rugged and coarse.