SAVAGE MIND ~ menswear

SAVAGE MIND ~ menswear collection

Inspired by the book The Savage Mind by the French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, this collection examines the relationship between nature, culture and the structures of human thought.

Lévi-Strauss challenges the conventional distinction between so-called primitive and modern scientific thinking, arguing that indigenous knowledge systems are equally sophisticated, systematic and analytical.

Rather than differences in intellectual capacity, he identifies variations in cultural knowledge, classification and technological development. His concept of a science of the concrete reveals how traditional societies interpret and organise the natural world through intricate systems of observation and logic.

This intellectual framework became the starting point for the collection's visual and material language. Indigenous natural dye techniques were juxtaposed with technical stitching, intricate construction and unconventional cut lines, transforming the familiar foundation of the classic shirt into something more complex and architectural.

The collection also draws directly from Lévi-Strauss's original geometric diagrams, algebraic formulas and permutation matrices, which illustrate the underlying logic connecting biological species, human identities and social structures.

These mathematical relationships were translated into three-dimensional knit designs, creating a visual dialogue between nature, abstraction and contemporary craftsmanship.

Throughout the collection, SHOHEI worked with sustainable textiles and natural materials, including organic cottons and GOTS-certified wool, reinforcing the connection between traditional knowledge, material consciousness and progressive design.

photographed_ by Hilde Van Mas
model_ Adam Dragun / Exit Model Managamement
grooming_ Karla Essl-Goldoni
styling_ Lisa Pek
assistant photographer_ Bogdan Zhvalevskyi