Hanako Maeda—the intellect and fashion force behind Adeam’s striking label—is a “best of both worlds” kind of woman. Born in Japan and raised in New York City, Maeda studied art history and anthropology at Columbia University, and partook in a variety of fashion internships before launching her label in 2011. Since then, she has attended fashion weeks in Shanghai (after being invited by the Japanese government), Tokyo, and New York.
Regular travels between Japan and New York has Maeda constantly inspired, and continuously finding that the opposites of the Eastern and Western world seamlessly fit together. Gaining a large majority of her inspiration from her two hometowns of Tokyo and New York, Maeda—reworking her last name’s letters to form “Adeam”—has continued to infuse art, and the ability to wear it, into one.
Adeam spring/summer 2016
For spring/summer 2016, her collection deeply reflects a recent rediscovery of her Japanese heritage while on a trip in April to Kyoto. Her Japanese culture, rich with centuries-old architecture, Hokusai prints, and antique kimono textiles, made its way into the collection in an interesting way. By taking delicate, antique prints from the Edo Period, and re-contextualizing them in collaboration with Italian textile mills, Meada merged the East with the West, and masculinity with femininity. The chemistry between these opposites is what made up Adeam’s dreamy spring 2016 collection—and it was apparent in nearly every effortlessly elegant printed chiffon piece.
The collection showed varying looks—some masculine, and some feminine—but in a new-aged way. Puffed sleeves were dropped below the shoulder and held the the side of the arm; cutouts criss-crossed to form a bold, patterned halter; large bows closed the center of knee-length, short-sleeved top; and traditional colors like black, white, and red took a modern turn in striped patterns, and in flowy side-sections of skirts.
Adeam spring/summer 2016
Although her love for fashion is her career’s main highlight, it must be said that she still credits art as one of her ultimate ongoing inspirations.
“I’ve always been interested in fine arts, and I love to paint when I was little. That’s definitely influenced me in my collections, and I think it comes out in all of the prints,” said Maeda. “I still paint a lot of watercolor, which I think is a little bit similar to the prints in the collection, so I think just all of the colors and all of the prints definitely comes from art.”
Adeam spring/summer 2016
Whether it be art or fashion, East or West, Adeam’s reflection of Hanako Meada’s life is transparent—and a beautiful transparency at that.
Adeam spring/summer 2016
