Item 2019.107 - Junya Watanabe Solar Powered Trenchcoat

Identity area

Reference code

2019.107

Title

Junya Watanabe Solar Powered Trenchcoat

Date(s)

  • Autumn Winter 2016 (Creation)

Level of description

Item

Extent and medium

11 (coat, detachable photovoltaic panels and cables, USB torch, USB cable)

Context area

Name of creator

Junya Watanabe
(1992-)

Biographical history

Watanabe (b. 1961) studied at the Bunka Fashion College, Tokyo, and, on graduation in 1984, went to Comme des Garçons, initially working as a pattern cutter but after three years was designing the Comme des Garçons Tricot collection. In 1992 he launched his eponymous womenswear label backed and produced by Comme des Garçons. He launched his menswear line Junya Watanabe MAN in 2001. His menswear explores archetypical garments, reinventing through the use of innovative materials or the conjunction of disparate elements from other existing menswear garments. This process has led to numerous collaborations including Porter, Loewe, Vanson, Brooks Brothers, Converse, Levi’s, Carhartt, Nike, The North Face and ArkAir.
Sources: The New York Times.

Name of creator

Comme des Garçons
(1973-)

Administrative history

Comme des Garçons was founded in 1973 in Tokyo by designer Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942). The company launched its first menswear line Comme des Garçons Homme in 1978, which Kawakubo designed until 1990 when Keiichi Tanaka (b. 1955) took over. In 2003 Junya Watanabe (b. 1961; see p. 301) became the line’s menswear designer. The company has several other menswear lines, including Comme des Garçons Homme Plus which debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 1984 as the company’s second menswear collection. Tailoring is central to the brand’s design philosophy. Comme Des Garçons Homme Deux was founded in 1987 and is primarily known for its suits, but also for its ties and shirts. The menswear range Comme des Garçons SHIRT debuted in 1988 with a focus on shirts, but quickly expanded to include jackets and trousers. It is primarily manufactured in France. Comme des Garçons Play launched in 2002 and consists of menswear and womenswear. It is a playful diffusion line that features the brand’s iconic heart-shaped logo. Comme des Garçons Black launched in 2008 and features signature menswear and womenswear.
In 2004 Comme des Garçons opened its first Dover Street Market store on Dover Street, in Mayfair, London. In 2016, it relocated to a much larger store on the Haymarket in St James’s, London. Additionally, 2004 was the debut of the first of approximately forty Comme des Garçons ‘guerrilla stores’, which were one-year-only pop-up shops. The company has 200 directly managed stores worldwide. Comme des Garçons have collaborated with numerous other brands including H&M, Louis Vuitton, Dr. Martens, Tretorn, Gucci, Undercover, A Bathing Ape, Hermès, Lewis Leathers, Supreme, Stüssy, Nike, Fred Perry, Visvim, Speedo and Vivienne Westwood.
Source: WWD.

Repository

Westminster Menswear Archive

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Scope and content

Dark olive double-breasted coat is equipped with six attached solar panels, encased in long rectangular holders with dark brown synthetic leather edging and clear fronts. The removable photovoltaic panels connect to cables threaded through black plastic stoppers on the coat's interior, designed to plug into lithium rechargeable batteries (now missing), which fit into small interior pockets. Loops sewn into the lining keep the cables organised. Included with the coat are a USB torch and USB cable.

The coat features a wide turn-down whipcord cotton collar, with the main body crafted from a cotton and polyester mix with a polyurethane coating. The lapels turn down with buttonholes at the top, and the coat fastens with four pairs of dark mottled brown plastic buttons, with four functional buttons. There are two inset waist pockets with wide flaps in a darker olive green fabric. The cuffs are finished with wide cotton webbing bands, fastened by two small dark-mottled brown buttons. The back has a long centre vent, and a shoulder yoke lined in checked fabric, and the lower half of the lining is silver-coated, attaching to the outer layer with press studs to conceal cables and batteries. The bottom section is lined with a sewn-down panel of bright orange fabric.

Country of Design: Japan
Country of Manufacture: Japan

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      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Label: JUNYA WATANABE / COMME des GARCONS MAN / M / Made in Japan
      Measurements:
      Shoulder width 50 cm
      Width 59cm
      Sleeve length 66 cm
      Front body 104 cm
      Back body 105 cm

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      Notes area

      Note

      Torch and cable in Box 46.

      Note

      Invisible men exhibition label:

      SOLAR POWERED TRENCHCOAT
      Junya Watanabe
      2016

      Our current reliance on ever more powerful mobile devices means that the ability to harness and store energy has become a focus for designers. This ordinary-looking trench coat integrates six solar panels that connect via a series of internal wires to a built-in charging unit allowing the wearer to recharge items while on the go.

      Polyester, cotton, synthetic leather
      Archive no. 2019.107

      Note

      Garment included as case study in Leanne Tonkin, 'Conserving Electronic Textiles and Digital Fashion', TEXT: For the study of the history, art and design of textiles, Vol 49, 2022, pp. 53-59. Copy in digital object file.

      Note

      From Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive:

      SOLAR-POWERED TRENCHCOAT
      Junya Watanabe
      Autumn Winter 2016
      Due to our increasing reliance on ever-more-powerful mobile devices, some designers’ focus has shifted from incorporating electronic devices into garments to creating garments with the capacity to capture and store energy. This unassuming trench coat by Japanese designer Junya Watanabe
      features six solar panels on the exterior that connect to a built-in charging unit via a series of internal wires, allowing the wearer to charge devices while on the move. While the exterior of the coat resembles a traditional trench coat, the interior contains a multitude of wires that connect the battery to all six solar cells.
      Polyester, Cotton, Synthetic Leather
      Archive no. 2019.107

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