The Surreal Fashion of Paula Canovas Del Vas, Japanese Culture Fanatic

Now based in London, Spanish designer Paula Canovas Del Vas proves that fashion has no borders, taking inspiration from Japanese culture. She has always been fascinated by Japanese fashion due to its technical nature, avant-garde approach and constantly mutating shapes.

While writing her thesis, Paula came across an analysis by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki who, in his book In Praise of Shadows, described all the specificity of the minimalist aesthetic and of Japanese life. She also discovered wabi sabi, a spiritual concept derived from the principles of zen Buddhism and Taoism. This philosophy advocates elegance and simplicity of design, as well as modesty and humility.

Passionate and determined, Paula decided to make several research trips to Japan. The last of these was funded by a travel grant from the Jorn Langberg Foundation. These trips allowed her to build a trusting relationship with the country. That’s why she decided to sell her first collection exclusively in Dover Street Market in Ginza, a district of Tokyo known for its many high-end boutiques.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, the prestigious London fashion school, the young designer caught the fashion world’s attention from the very start thanks to her overflowing imagination, which she used to its best advantage in a collaboration with Nike for the launch of Vapormax, and in placements with big fashion houses such as Maison Margiela and Gucci.

It was under the supervision of John Galliano, artistic director of Maison Margiela, then Alessandro Michele at Gucci, that Paula proved her worth amongst the big names. But her desire for independence soon took the upper hand and, at the start of 2018, she decided to take flight and create her own brand.

Although the designer seems to have a love affair with Japan, she chose Paris, on the banks of the canal Saint-Martin to be precise, for her first show at the start of 2019. From the very first looks, Paula Canovas establishes her multi-dimensional universe, with each shape zanier than the last. Heavily inspired by the surreal world of Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, the designer engages in a disconcerting game of proportion and volume.

Her pieces include an orange fringed minidress, shoes made from mohair in all colours, an anise green quilted coat, form-fitting latex tops and tops with exaggerated shoulders that recall the trend of the 80s, dictated by Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler. And, to accentuate the absurd side of her catwalk show, Paula decided to give the models fluorescent eye make-up and to do their hair in such a way that it resembled antennae.

Her creations evoke the manga aesthetic, and also the conceptual fashion produced by Rei Kawakubo, artistic director at Comme des Garçons. Paula Canovas surprises the public with her audacity, her combination of materials and a cultural mix which heralds a new, Japanese retro-futurist era in fashion.