You don’t have to look very hard to find examples of sacai’s influence throughout the fashion world. Founded by designer Chitose Abe in 1999, the Tokyo-based label has influenced so much of what we consider trendy over the last few years. Despite sacai’s success on international runways and domestic notoriety, it wasn’t until around 2019 that the brand finally achieved genuine mainstream popularity. Today we’re going to look at what makes sacai so unique and why they’re so much more than just another Nike collaborator.
sacai’s Nike 2019 footwear collaboration was a runaway success, landing the top place in multiple outlets’ Sneaker of the Year lists. By breaking into the realm of streetwear, people who had previously never heard of sacai were now exposed to an all-new world of highly polished, avant-garde fashion. The brand’s signature style of deconstruction and, more importantly, hybridization – informed heavily by Abe’s tenure at COMME des GARÇONS – would go on to inspire the most recent wave of DIY customizers, first-time designers, and established brands alike. Nike themselves has even gone on to drop a general release model with striking similarities to their LDV Waffle hybrid. Other brands just flagrantly ripped them off. Mainstream success had finally arrived, but that was never the point.
2021 Fila Renno (left) and 2019 sacai x Nike LDV Waffle (right)
Abe had always sought to create the clothes she wants to see in the world rather than appeal to a specific clientele or burgeoning fashion trends. “Some designers target Europe or Asia with each release. I make clothes that I want to wear, that fit my lifestyle”, says Abe in an interview for SSENSE. “No matter how conceptual the clothing might be, it always goes back to “Would I wear this?” If the answer is no, then I won’t go forward with the design.” Serving as CEO, founder, and design lead, Chitose Abe is sacai, enforcing 100% complete creative control over every aspect of the business. Famous for their hybrid creations of otherwise unconventional silhouettes, sacai makes things that shouldn’t work in theory but are remarkable in reality.
Growing up in the small city of Gifu, her parents forbade her from moving to Tokyo and thus tarnished her initial dream of attending Tokyo’s world-renowned Bunka Fashion College, the alma matter of superstar designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo Takado, Jun Takahashi, and her contemporary Junya Watanabe. She instead took fashion design at a college in neighboring Nagoya, commuting three hours each day to appease her familial roles. After graduation, Abe faced even further pressures with the expectation of finding a well-paying job at an established company. The wait wouldn’t be very long as she soon found employment as a designer at World Co., a Japanese corporation that produces clothes for dozens of brands throughout Asia. Finally, once a distant dream, the move to Tokyo was now happening, even if against her parent’s wishes.
Here she would be exposed to a new world of avant-garde fashion in the streets while stuck in the realm of corporate, mass-produced apparel in her day job. Abe felt stifled at this position. She was a rebellious individual in her youth and a staunch admirer of the Vivienne Westwoods and Jean-Paul Gaultiers of the world. Their unorthodox, punk aesthetics were appealing to her immensely in the 1990s. For months she would find herself people-watching the customers and staff of the neighboring COMME des GARÇONS store, envious of their expressive, personal style and trendy haircuts. With a bachelor’s degree in fashion from Nagoya University and only a year of corporate industry experience under her belt, Abe bit the bullet, quit her job and applied to COMME. She got it.
Under the tutelage of COMME des GARÇONS founder Rei Kawakubo, Abe would cut her teeth in the avant-garde as one of the label’s pattern makers. While less seniority than her design position at World Co., her peers actively encouraged her to grow into her strengths and flourish creatively. Regarding the experience, she once remarked: “At COMME des GARÇONS, my existence wasn’t dictated, I didn’t have to do this or that, or be the same as anyone else. … It was about being an original.” Later she would be promoted to the role of designer at her labelmate Junya Watanabe’s eponymous label, further honing her craft. During this time, she met fellow pattern maker, future Kolor founder, and soon-to-be husband, Junichi Abe. The two married and had a child in 1997, leading to Abe’s resignation to pursue motherhood. Before their marriage, Chitose’s maiden name was Sakai, hence the brand’s name. The lowercase stylization and addition of the letter C were purely stylistic choices. Sometimes things just look cool for the sake of it.
Now a stay-at-home mother, Abe’s life had taken another 180. The free-wheeling days of design and creation seemed to be behind her. While filled with love for her daughter, she couldn’t help but pine for her life before 1997. After two years of being a homemaker, a pep talk from her husband would prove to be the catalyst to sacai’s founding. “Of course, I loved my daughter,” Abe tells SSENSE. “But I felt isolated. Then my husband said, “Look, you used to be in this world of Paris Fashion Week, where hundreds of designers trot out hundreds of pieces. If you, by yourself, were able to make maybe only three or five pieces, … but ones that are very special and your own, maybe someone will notice and give you the validation you need.” And notice they did.
Over the course of two decades, what started as a handful of knits sold to local stores has now evolved into one of Japan’s most world-renowned labels, and it seems like things are just getting started. This success has been a long time coming. By 2004, the brand began to be stocked overseas at Barney’s New York and Colette in Paris. Their first lookbook would arrive in 2008, and the first sacai store wouldn’t open until 2011. Fast forward to the present day, and any self-respecting boutique would be considered remiss not to include sacai in their offerings.
In a sea of ridiculous collaborations, sacai approached each of their Nike projects with tact and forward-thinking, envelope-pushing creativity. It isn’t difficult to see that what Virgil Abloh’s THE TEN did for the popularity of deconstruction, sacai did the same for hybridization. Love it or hate it, you undoubtedly have sacai to thank for the plethora of DIY enthusiasts flooding your timeline any day of the week. There’s a touch of Abe everywhere, from denim mashups, patchwork everything, and jacket/dress hybrids. Few before her focused on Nike’s pre-Air Max runners from the 70s/80s when drawing up their collabs. Abe saw an opportunity in combining archival athletic wear and recontextualizing for a modern, fashion-forward world and soon sacai became a household name among sneaker enthusiasts.
Just as COMME des GARÇONS introduced Abe to a new world of fashion, her work with Nike has in-turn inspired a new generation. The exposure granted by a Nike collaboration means more people than ever are finding themselves represented in popular culture both culturally and stylistically. As Member David H. tells us:
“Nike collabs have exposed me to plenty of new brands that I once never heard of, such as sacai. I have always been fascinated with Japanese art, fashion, and culture and I love wearing my VaporWaffles. I’ve since explored the brand more and learned about their unique style. I enjoy sacai’s “doubling” work. Fragment and AMBUSH are some other brands I discovered through Nike. CLOT, however, was my favorite discovery because of Edison Chen and his vision. He connects his apparel and ideas with the east and west. I love how he takes old Chinese philosophy and symbolism and forms a modern take with the immersion of Western ideologies. This resonates with me so much because of my experience growing up as a Chinese American.”
Sure, Nike’s track roots are remembered fondly by faithful devotees of the brand, but no one was lining up for waffled-soled, nylon sneakers in 2019. Shifting the focus from athletic innovation to artistic expression, the 2019 sacai x Nike footwear, especially the LDV Waffle, were trendsetters from the get-go.
For all the noise that this partnership has made over the last two to three years, a surprising number of sneaker enthusiasts are unaware of the multiple Nike collaborations sacai had already done, nearly five years before the Blazer Mids LDV Waffle. A NikeLab Women’s exclusive, a trio of Air Max 90s came out in March of 2015, followed soon after that by a pair of laceless, slip-on Dunk High Lux. The Dunks first dropped in a trio of tonal colorways and were followed up by a four-piece collection of collegiate-adjacent colorways at the tail end of the year. In 2018, a special edition moccasin-inspired Air Force 1 collab was released exclusively at a pop-up in Hong Kong. Understandably, the tiny window of availability alone cursed these into obscurity.
Here we are in the present day, and if there’s any proof that lightning can strike twice, it’s the VaporWaffle. While slightly less revered compared to the LDV Waffle, the VaporWaffle was another international success bridging the gap between streetwear and Japanese high fashion. Further stretching the possibilities of what can realistically still be called a “midsole,” the sacai x Nike VaporWaffle takes the DNA of the LDV Waffle and extends it – literally – to its furthest possible evolution. Instead of two vintage silhouettes, sacai’s latest combines the futuristic VaporFly running shoe with its older brother, the 1983 Pegasus silhouette. Each shoe component appears to be in a constant struggle with itself, midsoles are stacked upon one another in an almost see-saw construction, yet the on-foot feel manages to maintain the normalcy.
For as wild as sacai’s work can appear at first glance, it always works. There’s a reason their sneakers continue to be popular. Take SoleSavy member Juan R. for example, “I found out about the Sacai x Nike shoes in late 2019. At first, I thought the shoe was too much. Little did I know I was looking at the Blazer and not the LDV Waffle. I fell in love with the design concept of overlapping material using nylon, silk, and premium suede. I think they were the best shoe of 2019 and the VaporWaffle was in my top ten of 2020.”
Yes, one downside to the mass crossover appeal of a sacai x Nike shoe means the shoes will continue to sell out. On the other hand, with the footwear collab stocked at many of the planet’s most respected boutiques, sacai has never been more accessible. It’s like getting New York Fashion Week experience at Footlocker price points, an entry point into the magic of sacai is finally available at a reasonable price. While countless people worldwide are trying to get a pair, our SoleSavy members can at least rest easy knowing they’ve been equipped with the skills needed to have a chance at copping.
At the core of sacai’s slowly gestating success is Chitose Abe and her unwavering dedication to the world she built. She knows some people think her work is quite out there, but she’s never been creating for other people. Rather, she is acutely aware that because her tastes are very forward-thinking and will find their audience naturally. As she tells SSENSE, “Sacai’s clothes might seem unrealistic to someone uninvolved in fashion, yet the clothes are very realistic for me. I’ve always thought that a collection is a balance of betrayal and stability. Stability is adhering to the Sacai style, and betrayal is an element of surprise.”
From bomber jackets sewn to dress shirts to sneakers that have imploded into themselves, sacai’s work continues to tiptoe the line between what is considered “normal” and “strange.” The sweet spot between both extremes is where sacai’s genuine beauty shines through.
Image 1 via Highsnobiety
Image 2 via Fila & END.
Image 3 via Nike
Image 4 via SSENSE
Image 5 via SoleSavy
Image 6 via Nike
Image 7 via sacai
Image 8 via Christian MacDonald / Interview Magazine
