Japanese designer Takahiro Miyashita’s Fall ‘08 menswear line and Paris show draw inspiration from the Ace Hotel Portland.
At his fall 2008 menswear show in Paris on January 17, fashion designer Takahiro Miyashita of Number (N)ine unveiled an inspired collaboration with the Ace Hotel Portland.
A Northwest grunge aesthetic runs through Miyashita’s fall pieces. The show, titled “My Own Private Portland,” opened with an Ace Hotel voicemail message. Portland-made Pendleton wool blankets folded on each seat invited guests to snuggle up.
The utilitarian wool blankets are emblazoned with the Thompson elk, a historical statue located in downtown Portland. Modeled on classic Pendleton hotel blankets, they represent Portland and the collection’s vintage-Americana feel. Ace and Number (N)ine are currently collaborating to create additional products which will be released this fall. You can buy the blankets at Number (N)ine’s Manhattan flagship store, and soon they’ll be at the Ace’s forthcoming NYC outpost.
Miyashita incorporates the Ace into his work because it exemplifies Portland: luxe but irregular, with echoes of a rough-and-tumble history. Miyashita’s nod to grunge fits with the Ace’s historical consciousness and place in a living cultural center.
