Onitsuka Tiger Fall/Winter 2021 Debuted at Milan Fashion Week

This season marked the Japanese label’s debut on the Italian fashion capital’s schedule. Onitsuka Tiger presented its fall/winter 2021 collection in the form of a fashion film titled “UNFASHIONSHOW”

As the name of the video implies, “UNFASHIONSHOW”—a slick, neon-bathed studio production—subverts expectations of what you might expect of a designer’s presentation, better resembling “a music video than a fashion show,” says Andrea Pompilio, the creative director of Onitsuka Tiger. Featuring three bright stars of the Milanese scene, such as singer and performer M¥SS KETA, dancer Gabriele Esposito and street artist Ozmo, it is also a heartfelt ode to the city’s creative soul.

Why Milan? That has to do with Onitsuka Tiger’s creative director Andrea Pompilio, who has designed for the brand for a decade now and for whom Milan is his home base. With Pompilio at the helm, the designs of the Japanese brand has continued to uphold an “East meets West” aesthetic, mainly drawing on the influences of Tokyo and Milan. Just last December, Onitsuka Tiger even opened the doors to its first Italy flagship.

Though the scope of the presentation may have been decidedly Milanese, the collection maintained the international flair the brand is well known for. A sporty baseline of padded coats and sweater-and-short twinsets in dusky hues were punctuated by pops of colour inspired by the 1970s trekking gear.

Designed by Pompilio, the collection takes its cues from trekking in the ’70s and is decidedly minimal. A scheme of black and gray nylon overtakes the collection, while pops of colors like orange, yellow, neon blue, only appear in select jackets and tracksuits. As it is inspired by navigating the Himalayas, functionality is embedded in these fashion pieces too, with toasty warm fleece featuring nylon inlays and vintage-inspired piping.