It comes as no great surprise to see so many international designers turning to Japan for artistic inspiration, because it's well known that the fashion pack often come to the Far East for fresh ideas.
Take Raf Simons. His latest collection for Jil Sander, shown in Milan, used an image of Japanese artist Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968) as a main styling point, and he adorned several shirts with some of his work. In addition to this homage there was Costume National's practical reinterpretation of Japanese male cosplay (costume play) and Dries Van Noten's "Tokyo Meets Calcutta" collection.
It's often said that many Japanese designers create in an artistic bubble, outside the network of Western trends. However, at the spring/summer 2010 menswear collections held in September, many domestic labels showcased looks that complemented trends seen this summer in Paris and Milan. Nice to see the European love affair with all things Japanese being partly reciprocated.