“New York made me more interested in fashion, it’s more close to me there.” So says designer Ryohei Kawanishi – having first studied for a BA at London’s Central Saint Martins, he then headed to NYC to take up a place on the MA course at Parsons. Now, he’s out on his own with LANDLORD, a label set to make its fashion week debut tomorrow at NYFW: Men’s.

Kawanishi presented LANDLORD’s inaugural AW16 collection with a lookbook instead of a presentation. A laidback mix of co-ord tracksuits in corduroy, denim and jersey, alongside slouchy hoodies, sweatshirts and oversized jackets, his references are eclectic. “I was looking at people wearing military and casual clothing,” he shares. “I found Wolfgang Tillmans does perfect styling like this in his portrait photos, and used them as a reference; his subjects became my muses... I also looked at a lot of 90s Gap.”

The bomber jacket (based on one of Kawanishi’s own vintage pieces from the Vietnam War era) was appropriated and remade with Nylon from Japan, while staples like hoodies and t-shirts get twisted with oversized, drop shoulder sleeves and super-long cords. Although technically menswear, there’s no reason to say these clothes can’t be worn by women (and they surely will). 

It may be one of the newest labels to make its mark in NYC, but with its designs already stocked in Opening Ceremony LA, NY and Tokyo – the future certainly seems bright for LANDLORD. Visit @LandlordNewYork on Instagram to keep up to date.