The Beginning
Before the start of AURALEE, Ryota Iwai began pursuing fashion in high school while working part-time at a second-hand clothing shop. Iwai's initial aspiration was not to become a designer but to own a clothing store. After graduating from Bunka Fashion College, Iwai was eventually hired at Norikoike, a knitwear brand that creates their own threads, hence where Wai began studying and experimenting with different textiles. Throughout the brand's inception, they've been able to build a cult following in Tokyo before being internationally recognized after Iwai was awarded the Tokyo Fashion Award in 2018 and before the brand's global collection debut during the 2019 F/W Paris Fashion Week at the Atelier Brancusi. The collection featured their camel jackets, and wool checked coats, using neutral color pallets while including urbanized pieces such as their Pink Finx Polyester Chambray Down Coat made from ultra-fine count Egyptian Finx cotton, a variety of cotton that is known for its durability and softness being that it's grown in the hot and dry climate by the Nile.
True Love for Heritage
Having grown up during the heyday of 90s Japanese street fashion, a time when loose silhouettes grew to prominence, was a time that immensely inspired Iwai, which is reflected today through AURALEE's pieces. However, the brand has developed into being an extension of the wearers' identity through essential pieces seamlessly integrating into their daily lives, having mentioned in an interview with Fucking Young, "a wardrobe that even when worn roughly, can be worn elegantly." The brand's neutral-toned palette, minimalist aesthetic, and emphasis on comfort reflect Wai's commitment to creating a wardrobe that effortlessly merges style with functionality.
Impact
One of the significant values of AURALEE is its production mechanisms and the relationships the brand has with its manufacturers so that they can ensure the quality of their pieces is up to par. To the degree that Iwai and his team travel outside of Japan to source raw materials such as cashmere and camel from Mongolia and wool from New Zealand and Australia. Pieces are then created through hand-dyed finishes and loose gauge weaves that can only be achieved through vintage spinning machines, thus alluding to the brand's commitment to making pieces with and for purpose while continuing to prioritize the quality of their products. During an interview at Rakuten Fashion Week in Tokyo, Iwai doubled down on prioritizing quality and functionality over flashy designs through trial and error, saying that "it's not rare that the completed textile ends up not matching the design I supposed for it, and in such cases, I change the design according to the textile." While prioritizing quality, the brand also emphasizes sustainability and ethical production by developing its own fabrics, predominantly using natural fibers and occasionally incorporating recycled materials. All the while, using Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic cotton underscores the brand's commitment to environmentally friendly, organic, and fair-trade practices.
So What?
If you thought simplicity was boring and that minimalistic fashion is lazy, I can promise that AURALEE will make you feel otherwise in that each piece unveils a nuanced sophistication. For example, their indigo Hard Twisted Denim Wide Pants subtly interweave gray yarn with indigo, offering a touch of gray and giving the denim a hint of enthusiasm to an otherwise classic silhouette. This commitment to practicality and comfort extends beyond design, permeating through their carefully selected textiles.
Now What?
AURALEE has been a mainstay at Paris Fashion Week since 2019, yet their goal is to create clothing for the everyday person, transcending the runway and seamlessly integrating into daily life. So much so that the brand has collaborated with New Balance and Tokyo Design Studio to develop a range of fleece pants, quarter zip sets, and recently while also designing their versions of the NBXC72, and most recently the NB1906R accompanied by New Balance designer Samuel Pearce under New Balance's "NB Archive Remastered by AURALEE x TDS" campaign which debuted during 2023 Paris F/W Fashion week.