As far as streetwear goes, nothing offers greater opportunity for layering the hype on thick (warranted in this case) than well-calculated collaborations. But while most brands and designers that create in this space have followed the somewhat formulaic approach of playing within the sandbox of fashion, you can always trust a Japanese Streetwear Godfather to shatter the mould completely. True to his reputation and pioneering vision, Hiroshi Fujiwara’s latest collaboration with revered two Michelin star restaurant Gaggan proves this. The product? A hyper-limited run of yuzu pepper Nama-chocolates which come branded with a play on Initial D’s “Fujiwara Tofu Shop.”
The legacies of all parties involved are what makes this collaboration so exciting. Fujiwara’s work with Nike’s Mark Parker (CEO) and Tinker Hatfield (Vice President for Design and Special Projects) is widely considered to be one of the most innovative projects in the history of the sneaker industry. Meanwhile, Gaggan, opened by Indian chef Gaggan Anand in Bangkok over a decade ago now has revolutionised the international fine dining community’s idea of Indian food and the potential it offers. Given both’s penchant for highly experimental work, one might say this link-up could have been expected if it wasn’t so unprecedented.
The exclusive chocolates are part of a pop-up orchestrated by KIYONAGA&CO.’s Hirofumi Kiyonaga—another Japanese streetwear legend worth their salt—and are only one of the ‘art’ offerings on display at the gallery-cum-retail venue. Others include “reflective wall pieces like the fragment Mirror, Frame Mirror and Canvas Mirror” as well as exciting retail collaborations for streetwear fanatics such as POOL aoyama (a nautical-themed brainchild of Fujiwara himself) and PARK・ING GINZA “DEAD STOCK” Remake T-shirts.
As far as Gaggan’s interest in all this, anyone who’s followed the rags-to-riches trajectory of the progressive chef knows how much Japanese influences have seeped into his ‘Indian’ cuisine. Between 2013 and 2018, he’s flown to the country over 71 times, admitting to admiring the “Japanese Zen art of cooking and how the cuisine is so simple and minimalist yet delicious.” Just last August, he conceptualised and executed an ‘emoji menu’ which includes both molecular gastronomy-focussed Indian fare to Japanese-accented coursed with Indian inspiration. So it’s unsurprising the renegade chef would jump at the opportunity to explore this arena.
One way or the other, the hype is real. The quality of the actual end product? If you get your hands on it, let us know what you thought.
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