CFCL Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Halfway through a preview of Yusuke Takahashi’s comprehensive CFCL collection for spring, the 37-year-old Tokyo-born designer pulled up a video on his iPhone of his three-year-old daughter. Wearing a mini version of the pale-pink and yellow knitted ‘Pottery’ dress, the stand-out hit from his nascent line, the pre-schooler was shown at a recent CFCL pop-up store event holding up her favorite pieces from the collection, one by one, explaining why she loves them. (Though the label, whose name is an acronym of ‘clothing for contemporary life’ is only two-years-old, Takahashi has already developed a kidswear offering.) “She has just started ballet lessons, so we did a ballet-inspired line for kids,” he said with a smile, adding: “That’s another reason why it’s so important the fabric can be washed in a washing machine.”

In addition to being adorable, Takahashi’s pint-sized protégée makes a compelling sales assistant for the brand, which has established a clear identity and mission in a short space of time. Founded on the designer’s conviction that good clothes should be for everyone—an egalitarian philosophy that defined his former boss, the late Issey Miyake’s label, too—CFCL’s recycled polyester pieces have an engineered springiness that means they fit people of all ages, genders and shapes. Takahashi is similarly single-minded about sustainability. In July 2022, CFCL achieved B Corp status with a score of 128—impressive, given that the median score for ordinary businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9. The only other fashion brand showing at PFW with B Corp certification is Chloé, which earned an overall score of 85.2 in October 2021.

That B Corp status is partly down to Takahashi’s fealty to 3D-computer knitting, which produces seamless garments and eliminates waste. But it’s also due to the rigor with which he collaborates with suppliers, many in Japan’s Tohoku, Hokuriku and Kanto regions, whom he knows from his Miyake days designing menswear. His willingness to challenge them on everything from switching to renewable energy sources to cutting down on water consumption is admirable—and documented in detail on CFCL’s website.

For spring, his fifth collection, Takahashi wanted to temper his cocooning silhouettes and zingy colors to focus on elegance. “Knitwear has a history of casual wear, it’s not used for suits or evening dress,” he said. “So for our first presentation for PFW, I was thinking about authentic elegance. I was looking at Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking. But I wanted to combine elegant eveningwear with comfort.” A slim-cut double-faced knit blazer in black with a gentle peplum and a navy lining fit the bill, as did cupro-recycled-polyester mix trousers with the pleat sewn in. Elsewhere, Takahashi has been thinking about science fiction, and the futuristic aesthetic of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Body-skimming and bell-shaped dress styles were reworked in sheer knit with a dry touch, intended to be layered over wide-leg pants and skirts. Delicate peplum-flared cardigans were paired with flared trousers. In accessories, woven pouch bags worn as wristlets have also proved popular and were reworked for spring in cobalt blue and bubblegum pink.

In October, Takahashi will open his brand’s first store in Tokyo, with a second planned for next year. He already has over 100 doors in Japan, and has his sights set on expansion in Korea, Vietnam and China, as well as Paris. “People feel a sympathy with our clothes, because they are made for urban life,” Takahashi said. “Not so many brands focus on function—wrinkle-resistance, quick-dry, easy to wash and care for—as well as elegance. But it’s just the beginning.”