TOGA VIRILIS, the men's line of TOGA, has entered its 10th season. It's hard not to wonder why it took more than 10 years for Yasuko Furuta to launch a men's line when she founded TOGA in 1997. Perhaps she had a resistance to clothing that she wouldn't wear herself.

"Unlike the women's clothing process, which involves reconciling the creative ideas in your mind with the reality of actually wearing the clothes, I felt that men's clothing, which can't be worn in reality, was merely 'imagination,' so I never really thought about men's clothing in concrete terms."

It all started in Paris.

"I remember that Hirofumi Kurino (currently Creative Direction and Senior Advisor at United Arrows), who had been visiting our exhibitions in Paris for a long time, asked me one day, 'Why don't you try working on menswear?' After about two seasons, I participated in a project for a special issue of the magazine 'BRUTUS,' which featured United Arrows' custom-made menswear directed by Mr. Kurino. That was the first time I seriously engaged with menswear, and that's when I decided to launch it as a full-fledged collection."


I had a firm belief about the men's clothing I personally liked.

"I'm drawn to the suit styles and use of accessories of Alberto Giacometti and Jean Cocteau from the 1950s. I use their classic styles as a base and mix in rebellious cultures that originated in London, such as punk and Teddy Boy. This creates a style that is neither simply classic nor solely avant-garde. I also love vintage clothing. Plus, there might be an element of vintage style in there as well."

For Furuta, "connecting opposing forces, combining two different things" is a key keyword. Toga possesses an innovative quality that values two things equally, such as high fashion and vintage clothing, mass production and one-of-a-kind pieces. The expression of his women's creations has sometimes been bold and delicate, and has created new value by fusing two opposite extremes: conservative classicism and fundamental modernity. So how about men's?

"Creating a men's collection isn't about creating entirely new items or designs. I believe it's important to have a solid wardrobe of classic pieces like shirts, suits, and leather jackets. I think about the coordination and fit the items together like putting together a puzzle."

Double-breasted jackets are paired with wide-leg trousers, and British-style suits are worn with Western shirts instead of dress shirts and tied with ribbon ties. Formal suits with silk lapels are paired with T-shirts and cummerbunds. The collection features a variety of looks, including a fusion of trench coats and leather biker jackets, a long tailored coat layered with a mod coat, and MA-1 style flight jackets adorned with faux fur. TOGA's iconic silver conchos are scattered across a wide range of items, and the iconic design is carried over to the women's collection as well.

From the TOGA VIRILIS Fall/Winter 2016 collection.

"The foundation is the 1950s, as I mentioned before. That's the style from before the era of mass production. Jackets are longer than they are today, and they are paired with trousers with a deep rise. Bottoms have had two pleats from the beginning, and the silhouette is tapered. Different problems arise compared to making women's clothes. For example, materials. You can't use materials that are this sheer, or you should use stiffer materials. You are required to adhere to the detailed rules of men's clothing. If you think of it as avant-garde, you might be able to use sheer materials as you like. But for Toga menswear, on the contrary, we want to preserve it as a virtue."

This approach is extremely practical: considering the clothes that should be part of a man's daily life and acquiring them as needed. It's incompatible with the highly creative approach of women's fashion. There's no need for clothes with groundbreaking forms that no one has ever seen before. But realistic clothing lacks excitement. Rather than unromantic everyday wear, it's real clothes with a touch of fantasy that aligns with the modern man's aesthetic.

"I think it would be fun for an ordinary office worker to try on Toga clothes. I intend to create clothes that can be part of everyday life and lift your spirits just a little," Furuta says of her women's collection. "But I also think there is an aesthetic in men's conservative attitude towards traditional culture."

Toga Virilis bridges the gap between tradition and fashion, transcending age, occupation, and national borders, connecting classic and avant-garde. It stands quietly between conservatism and avant-garde, reality and fantasy.

Yasuko Furuta
Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1971. Graduated from Esmod Paris in 1994. Launched TOGA in 1997. Moved presentation venues to Paris in 2005 and participated in Paris Fashion Week. In 2011, the men's line TOGA VIRILIS was launched. The first pop-up shop will open at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building from Wednesday, June 29th.

TOGA VIRILIS Pop-up Store □ June 29th (Wed) - July 5th (Tue)
□ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd Floor = International Creators

Text: Ikeda Yasuyuki
Photo: Ozawa Tatsuya

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