Alone in Tokyo

From Tokyo to Manila, Filipino menswear designer Johann Manas comes home for JMan x Human. In collaboration with local retail giant Bench, JMan distills a vision of Japanese street style designed for the Filipino consumer.

MANILA, Philippines - Tokyo-based Filipino designer Johann Manas stirs it up in Manila. Fresh from the frenetic pace of Omotesando, JMan comes home for Philippine Fashion Week 2014. Known for a modern sensibility tempered with Filipino craft, utilitarian details paired with functional silhouettes, the cult label has secured a foothold in the Japanese market.   

From his storied beginnings at the prestigious Vantan Design Institute to the growth of his Tokyo-based eponymous label, the designer’s most recent coup is an apparel collaboration with Human — an alternative clothing label from local retail giant Bench. 

For spring/summer 2015, JMan x Human is a distilled vision of Japanese street style designed for the Filipino consumer. Manas drew inspiration from “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal,” an exhibit that ran in Tokyo when he was conceptualizing his line-up. The designer took Warhol’s Silver Factory and juxtaposed it with utilitarian and sportswear silhouettes, using foil, mesh, and metallic textiles. As tees with metallic prints, mesh bomber jackets, and louche track pants walked down the runway, the look was definitely Japanese, and indubitably street.   

YStyle sits down with Johann Manas and we talk shop.

YSTYLE: Having followed your career here at Ystyle, can you briefly update us on your label JMan?

JOHANN MANAS: I had recently shown my S/S 2015 collection in Manila, during the Philippine Fashion Ball held some months back. But for the most part, I am currently in the process of rebranding JMan with goals of future expansion — it’s a lot of numbers, discerning my market, refining the look, and a mixed bag of other things.

I’m in the midst of asking myself, as a Filipino designer who studied, lives, and works in Japan, “where do I fit in?” In terms of fulfilling a niche, “where does my label fit?” There is a barrier I’m trying to transcend, from being known as an independent foreign designer to that of recognition as a namesake label — just JMan as JMan. I want the product to speak for itself and I’m looking at differing avenues on how to explore that.

It’s very exciting stuff, but there’s not a whole lot I can reveal just yet.

Can you describe to us the JMan look that you’re trying to refine?

The look has always been utilitarian sportswear. The influence comes from a Japanese aesthetic, but with an undertone of Southeast Asian flavor. The salient feedback I get is that my pieces are of the same style and spirit embraced by the Japanese market, but because of the detailing and fabrication, it stands out. “You know, it’s not wholly Japanese” is one comment I frequently hear, and I try to preserve that. 

I look at the rich resources we have in the Philippines, in the form of different weavings, embroidery, and what- not — and my aim is to harness these sometimes rough, sometimes hard, raw materials and to innovate them with technology. To elevate Filipino design, the barong Tagalog or woven rattan for example, into something current. Given the chance (and the financial support), this is something I’d really like to refine and pursue.

But in general, my designs always begin with functionality — incorporating function into form. I always come from the perspective of “How will these clothes work for you” and evolve from there. A utilitarian idea is always pervasive in my pieces, but my baseline has always been sportswear.

I ride my bike, I take the train — my pieces are contemporary. It’s not always street, but it’s never keyed without purpose. 

With that in mind, tell us about your inspiration for JMan x Human?

The JMan x Human collaboration is really something special for me. The aesthetic is very Japanese street wear--it’s not something that I would always embrace in my collections as I’ve said, but the perspective is the same. It’s definitely street. I wanted to bring in something fresh and new to the table. I shifted away from utilizing traditional fabrics and flavor, instead I decided to go for mesh, metallics, and more tech-inspired textiles. It’s really all about the feeling of downtown Tokyo, a look distilled through my own lens.

Can you tell us about the detailing and textures in this collection?

For the textures I used a lot of foil with an over layer of mesh, repeating patterns, metallic camouflage, among others. Details include boxy pockets, functional zippers, and raglan sleeves.

For the collection, I went back to one of my signatures for inspiration: the toy soldier, those green plastic figures that combine into a miniature army. For this collection, I chose the image of a paratrooper; used as a repeating print. A soldier descending onto the battlefield via a parachute.

It was largely symbolic of how I felt during the entire process: a fresh recruit being dropped from the skies.

That said, can you tell us about your plans for JMan and the future?

Like I’ve said, right now, it’s all about strategy and refinement for JMan. Nothing is set in stone, but I’m very excited for what’s to come.

In terms of design, I’m really looking to intersect my Japanese influences (of the lifestyle, of the city) and the resources made available for Filipino design. Be it in artist prints, local weaves, or tech innovation, the challenge, for me, lies in this: how do I make the traditional Filipino “now”?

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JMan x Human is available in select Human stores nationwide. To know more about the designer’s journey, grab a copy of the upcoming issue of Benchmark magazine.

Photos by KOJI ARBOLEDA