Although they have yet to be included on the official London Fashion Week schedule ("We would love to work with the British Fashion Council and have applied twice, but they have not included us on the schedule and we don't understand why," bemoans Kenichi) and have had little UK press attention, people are gradually becoming aware of this dynamic design duo. Their first collection entitled Jet Leg launched in February 1999 and was followed by Fog Bound. The following February they showed Cold Front and their spring/summer 01 collection is called Cat Nap (pictured left). The forthcoming autumn/winter collection is based on the theme of 'going up'. Cat Nap was inspired by the pair's black cat Dot, a creature they describe as the Chairman of Double 0. "People are motivated to come to the studio to see Dot," says Kenichi. The collection features happy-go-lucky prints and textiles created by the duo, hand-sewn details, drawings and embroidery. "We worked with a mill on the collection," says Kenichi. "Designing textiles is a really important thing for us, if we didn't design textiles as well as the clothes, it wouldn't really be interesting for us." They have designed their own version of dog tooth check and developed lace made from plastic.

Double 0's vision is bold, colourful and booming with joy. "We believe something good will come. When people try on our clothes they smile, they touch them and say how happy they feel. We don't want to direct people on how to wear our garments, we think they should decide themselves." In Cat Nap skirts double-up as capes and pieces of fabric appear added-on to garments such as fish tail skirts. It would be stupid to try and predict what Double 0 will do next. For the forthcoming collection they have been busy asking everyone they meet what 'going up' means to them. They plan to continue designing textiles and would love to open a shop ("It would be a fantasy shop, a place where people could come to relax and have fun") and expand their menswear offering. But future collections could be influenced by anything from classical kimonos, through 60s pop stars, stage productions, Spanish architecture, Morris dancers to Peckham High Road. But both are adamant that London now owns their hearts and souls. "London has a power," says Kenichi. "There is such a mixture of cultures and religions. In Japan people go to school to learn how to conform. Here people are more questioning and more individual."

Double O is available at: [ Johnny Moke ] - 396 Kings Road, London SW10, telephone 020 7351 2232. Price range: From £88 (for a top) to £750, with an average price of around £150. » For more information email Double O. x

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