A Closer Look at Junya Watanabe’s FW23 Collaborations

Paris Fashion week is upon us and whilst high end firms like Maison Margiela and Louis Vuitton exhibit conceptual collections that would look more at home in a museum than a wardrobe, the Streetwear focused fiends at Junya Watanabe took the opportunity to deliver a masterclass in collaboration, showing off various pieces designed in conjunction with the likes of Carhartt, Oakley, New Balance, Palace and The North Face. 

Stealing the spotlight from the expertly tailored suits armed with exoskeleton-ised detailing, the numerous logos featured on the jacket and footwear options stand out in Junya’s FW23 collection. 

With the pieces in question appearing in a monochromatic fashion, it allows for the logo to draw attention, getting fans hyped for the slew of collaborations that are set to arrive over the coming months. 

Starting with the most noticeable of the lot, a hefty, down Palace jacket saw Junya ditch Supreme, this time choosing their British counterpart as the streetwear brand of the season, also adding to Palace’s own repertoire of strong collaborations. 

Elsewhere, The North Face was used in a formal combination, as Junya formatted the Nuptse puffer into a single breasted suit jacket that literally defines “smart casual”. 

Moving to the feet, Junya’s chosen models were decked out in two of New Balance’s hottest styles and a weirder, albeit trendier choice, in the form of Oakley’s Flesh Mule. 

The slightly taller sibling of the popular 550 silhouette, the New Balance 650, appeared with luxe, animal print panels, swapping between ostrich and croc on the three blacked out iterations, acting as a sporty addition to the otherwise ‘proper’ aesthetic seen throughout the collection. 

Also featured were two colourways of New Balance’s 1906r

Last but not least, it’s the Gorpcore realm that’s being explored, with an expedition to the Oakley Factory Team, where the newly retrofitted Flesh Mule has been given the triple black treatment, allowing for the lung-inspired sole and form shaping mesh to really shine, without the input of unnecessary design features or flashy colours. 

Altogether, Junya Watanabe’s FW23 outing was a resounding success. It’s easy to slap a logo on something, but the fusion of each collaborator’s DNA mixed with clear homages to CDG is experimental yet wearable - original, but innovative. 

It’s just weird enough that you’ll turn heads, but not too crazy that your grandma will disown you for wearing it.  

Nice one Junya.