Causing a Commotion

First Singapore, then the rest of the world. mary lim finds out how Christian Dada is conquering hearts, one embroidered biker jacket at a time.

THE JAPANESE LABEL founded by designer Masanori Morikawa in 2010 chalked up its fi rst international headlines in 2012, when Lady Gaga donned its spectacular Origami Crane dress during the Born This Way Ball concert tour. Its clothes have also been spotted on Korean boybands BigBang and Super Junior, as well as American rockers Kiss, who appeared at the label’s show during Tokyo Fashion Week in 2013.

The official opening party of the flagship boutique in Singapore in August also attracted prominent South Korean media personalities such as Yang Hyun-suk, founder and CEO of YG Entertainment, and record producers Teddy Park and Kush. Local guests included rapper Shigga Shay and socialite Kim Lim.

Who Morikawa really wants to dress, he tells Prestige in an interview, is Morrissey, the English singer-songwriter he calls “my favourite musician”.

He has created a brand that represents multiculturalism —“Christian” was adopted from the French couturier Christian Dior, while “Dada” was taken from Dadaism, the art movement that drew on anarchy and avant-garde.

Since its launch, Morikawa has garnered a loyal following with his deconstructed deliberations, drawing on his grandfather’s embroidery expertise and childhood encounters with biker gangs back in his home town in Kagawa, Japan. Working in London with demi-couturier Charles Anastase, Morikawa learnt to marry his Eastern upbringing and Western exposure.