Motoguo @motoguo opens its doors for us to take a look at its marvelous Fall/Winter 2021 collection. We also had the opportunity of talking with them to ask them about the origins of the brand, the inspiration behind it, and behind each collection, their definition of fashion, and the future plans for the brand.
Vanity Teen: Your brand Motoguo has a really unique aesthetic with bold prints and innovative shapes and cuts. How would you define your brand and its target?
Motoguo: Ever since our humble beginning in 2015, we’ve always tried to challenge peculiarity in the most romantic cynical, and witty way. All our designs are glazed in a shiny layer of cloying romanticism as we carefully weave a tale into our collections every season. We spend most of our efforts in creating a world that reflects our inner cadence while leaving the door open, welcoming anyone who wants to join.
VT: How did you start building your brand and why did you decide to focus on these particular aesthetics with references to past decades and this strong style?
M: Upon our graduation, Kinder and I received overwhelmingly positive support from the community around us that ultimately gave us the confidence booster to start a label with our business partner, Jay. No specific moment or event comes to mind on how we arrived with our aesthetic today. In hindsight, it was a constant open-minded experiment between Kinder and me. In other words, it is a waltz between the two creative directors to find the right balance in what we want to express, a waltz we are still dancing with full passion to this day.
VT: The Fall/Winter 2021 collection has a really gorgeous look with some pieces that catch your attention so easily thanks to the shapes and colors. Which was the idea behind this collection? What story does it tell?
M: Our Fall/Winter 2021 collection takes inspiration from Obayashi’s helming of the 1977 twisted fairy tale – Hausu. This results in a head-on collision between the film’s melancholic core aesthetics and the label’s iconic visual hijinks. Just as how the film tells the tale of a tragic war widow suffering from past trauma, we show how a conflicted soul can be the perfect prelude to an ominous outbreak. Our eccentric use of sarcasm can be seen as this ghost-ridden house doesn’t feel the need to be sinister, it communicates through visual puns that await the wearers to decode.
VT: One thing that fascinates me the most is the ability to combine these bold prints you create with iconic clothing shapes from past eras and make them look great and cohesive. How is your creative/designing process?
M: Our creative process is essentially just storytelling. We take an honest introspective exploration of how we feel about what’s happening around us and channel it into our collections. We pay close attention to visuals, scent, and music to ensure everything is in tune with the bigger vision of the collection.
VT: As Motoguo has a unique style, I would like to know what’s your definition of fashion at the moment and if you think it has evolved throughout the years.
M: In our opinion, fashion has always been a medium for expression at its core. Ever since the day we decided to pursue a career in fashion, it has always been about finding a medium for self-expression, finding a voice for our ideas that is bigger than us. It is without saying that over the years fashion has taken a more progressive stance in terms of bringing awareness to social issues and the impact of the industry on the environment. We are now expressing and fighting for what we believe in through our selection of clothes, and that is something beautiful.
VT: I’m sure you have already done amazing things, but which are some of the dreams you would like to accomplish with your brand? How do you see the brand in a couple of years from now?
M: We dream of setting up a space that serves as a hub for vintage and archival clothing. Community building surrounding a brand’s culture has always been our passion and we hope this space can encourage the exchange of stories and clothing between people with a deep passion for fashion. In terms of short-term goals, we’re aiming to grow our team with individuals who share the same values to turbocharge the brand to its full potential.
Words by Adrian Gomis @adriange_, Vanity Teen online!