If you want to translate the word Kwaidan, you will probably get "strange" or "bewitching talk." It appears like the word itself holds a pinch of mystery, making you eager to plunge into the strangeness of some thriller. Kwaidan is also a celebrated 1964 Japanese film by Masaki Kobayashi, and you have probably never heard of it unless you are a film geek. The creators behind Kwaidan Editions are both movie geeks and emerging designers with an impressive background in the fashion industry. Hung La and Léa Dickely debuted their brand back in 2017 and quickly became desirable to e-commerce platforms like Matchesfashion and SSENSE. Despite the label's juvenility, in 3 years, Kwaidan Editions succeeded in positioning itself and gaining candid followers. 

Women wearing Kwaidan Editions seem like they just got out of the film set. This uniqueness of Kwaidan Editions lies in its continuing leitmotif of cinema. Unlike many other designers' tradition of fancying cinematography references, films became almost the largest part of Kwaidan Editions' DNA. The label masterfully understands theatricality and spectacle behind the act of clothing oneself - styling is made with an approach we may usually find in a film. 

"This uniqueness of Kwaidan Editions lies in its continuing leitmotif of cinema"

Taking it to the SS 21 collection lookbook, which Léa Dickely herself shot, the careful thought about the interior and how a model finds herself in that space is present. The clothing is turning into a supplement of the location. Hung La and Léa Dickely cherish the air of the '70s indoors. For their SS 21 presentation, they even used a building outside London, which seems unaffected by time since that époque. 

2020 was a rather bizarre year for the fashion industry. Lockdown and pandemic affected the creativity of many - some people found themselves in total creative helplessness while others had their imaginative tanks refilled. For the first time in history, Fashion Weeks around the globe officially took a hybrid form for putting forward the new collections. Mixing digital with real-life presentations rooted the new agenda for an already oversaturated field, distinguished by its aloof stances towards environmental and social concerns. Considering the size of Kwaidan Editions, presenting the latest SS 21 collection in a photo lookbook was thoughtful and pandemic-wise in every way. The fact that images are taken inside someone's home provokes the ambiance of staying in. We may not be sure of what the future holds for us in the next spring and summer season, but we have, for sure, experienced the act of dressing up for ourselves without a purpose to go out. 

"Kwaidan Editions is one of the young labels that differentiates itself with a firm concentration on the cerebral side of dressing up"

In the best tradition of the label, the collection was not bereft of bright, eye-catching colors. Fluorescent neon pants combined with "granny" flower shirts, radiant red or yellow pointed-toe mules, a bright pink-toned T-shirt with a picture from passé Japanese Playboy publications. The lookbook is full of contrast elements: serious tailoring mixed with flashy features; casualness of jeans combined with scuba-diving resembling turtlenecks and tops. 

Kwaidan Editions is one of the young labels that differentiates itself with a firm concentration on the cerebral side of dressing up. Its garments seem simple to an untrained eye but under light present an elaborate blend of chic, intellectual, cultural, and nostalgic fashion. 

Courtesy of Kwaidan Editions SS'21