Tetsuya had learned about the structure of a planetarium a few months ago after a research trip to an observatory.
In simple terms, it involved adjusting the position of a projector to simulate the appearance of a starry sky within a hemispherical darkroom, allowing one to find the celestial phenomena they wished to see.
So... what would happen if the celestial bodies were replaced with clothes?
"The entire planetarium is divided into two parts: the upper hemisphere representing 'tops' and the lower hemisphere representing 'bottoms'. You just need to look in any direction and turn the spherical projector in the middle to select your preferred outfit from the projections on the screen," Tetsuya explained from outside the planetarium. "Please, Principal, try turning it."
"...Turn the projector."
From the moment she stepped inside, the Principal of Geika had worn an expression of utter astonishment. Even as the head of a fashion academy with decades of experience, she had never seen such a novel display method.
The interior of the darkroom was just as Tetsuya had described, surrounded by projections of clothing.
When she followed his instructions, fixed her gaze in one direction, and began to slowly turn the projector in her hands, she was deeply shaken by the change in the scene before her.
"What... is this?"
Just as a normal planetarium changes the position of the stars when the projector rotates, as the principal gently turned the upper part of the spherical projector, the projections of the tops on the highest layer of the darkroom shifted. At the same time, each top corresponded to a Greek letter, while the less numerous bottoms each corresponded to a Roman numeral.
When she aligned the projection of a knit sweater with that of a pair of women's trousers, a projection of the outfit she had chosen appeared before her. Its style and cut were displayed with crystal clarity in the center of her vision. Not only that, but scattered across the projection of the clothing were deliberately placed points of starlight, forming a pattern like a constellation.
If that's the case...
The principal then turned the projector again, finding a jacket and a midi skirt.
As expected, the projection of the new outfit appeared clearly before her eyes, and the starlight on the clothes formed another constellation pattern.
"Tell me, Chihaya-san..." the principal asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "Every single item on this projector... you have them all on hand, don't you?"
"That's right," Tetsuya answered without hesitation. "If a customer requires it, we can bring out the actual clothes at any time to check the effect of the outfit."
"! Let me see!"
The principal immediately stepped out of the planetarium.
Tetsuya smiled and asked, "Will the 'constellation' you've just selected do?"
"'Constellation'..."
Hearing this word, the principal paused for a moment, then immediately grasped his meaning.
"Alpha-IV."
"Understood."
Tetsuya nodded, then walked behind the planetarium and retrieved the jacket and midi skirt that perfectly matched the projection from the clothing storage area. Nagasaki Soyo immediately went to the other side of the booth and quickly wheeled out a blank mannequin.
When the principal saw the effect of the outfit on the mannequin, her expression turned to one of complete incredulity.
"Perfect."
Just as she had seen in the planetarium, the two pieces of clothing she had chosen blended together into a complete outfit, standard and seamless.
Then if that's the case...
"Beta-X."
"Understood."
A new mannequin was brought out, followed by the combination of the knit sweater and women's trousers from before. As she had expected, the effect was, of course, a harmonious whole.
"Are you serious..."
The principal looked up and murmured in a near-stunned tone, "Don't tell me... the patterns of all the clothes are designed to be compatible with each other?"
"It's not quite that exaggerated. For example, while a dress can also form a 'constellation', its inherent nature means it's only suitable for a few tops," Tetsuya explained. "However, most of the individual items can indeed be arranged and combined to form a 'constellation' unique to the customer."
"..."
Although his explanation was simple, the principal, as an industry insider, knew perfectly well that to achieve this goal, the design and patterns must maintain a high degree of consistency while guaranteeing quality. This was something only a designer like Tetsuya, who integrated both design and pattern-making, could accomplish. Moreover, even disregarding this interchangeability, each individual piece, when taken alone, had the quality and potential to become a bestseller.
At this thought, the principal immediately walked over to the mannequin and touched the clothes on it. As expected, the material and workmanship also upheld Tetsuya's consistent insistence on "comfort."
The usual comfort, the extraordinary quality, and most importantly, the freedom to mix and match according to one's own preferences.
This was the theme of the fashion brand [Starry Sky] for this exhibition.
"Although I feel this question is no longer necessary, just in case, I still have to ask... you don't plan to incorporate some current fashion themes, like other brands do?"
Or rather...
"Are you planning to completely abandon a 'high-end feel' for your brand?"
For many fashion brands, if they wanted to maintain a sense of luxury, the first thing to do was to add sufficiently "unconventional" elements to their designs. This could be the most popular fashion theme of the moment, or a new, groundbreaking concept that might not be understood by everyone...
But within Tetsuya's [Starry Sky], there were no such elements whatsoever. From the workmanship to the materials, from the design philosophy to the brand theme, everything was in service of the wearer's own experience.
In her eyes, such a choice was, in a way, almost as if he had given up on the possibility of "haute couture."
However, in response to her question, Tetsuya just smiled and shook his head.
"High-end, trendy, fashionable... those things aren't actually defined by the designer alone, are they?"
For him, what a designer should do is turn their own understanding, feelings, and thoughts from the abstract into the concrete, and display them on the clothing. So, what kind of feelings did he hold for his own clothes?
"First, it must be comfortable, so comfortable that it's unforgettable."
"Then, it must be warm. It's even better if it can evoke the feeling of home."
"Next, it must be simple, giving a sense of security through its clear and frank nature."
"Finally, it must be free, allowing people to wear it without any psychological burden."
By incorporating all these feelings into the clothing, the final result was the work he presented at this joint exhibition.
"These are my design philosophies, and also the clothes I want to make. As for whether they can become a trend accepted by others... that's not something I can control."
As Tetsuya spoke, he looked over at the models beside him.
"But at the very least, my models love them. I think that's already enough."
Just then, the judges who had been gathered in front of [JP] and [NozAK!] each made their judgments and slowly, in order, began to walk toward his brand.
It wasn't until the judges in front of the booth cast their curious gazes toward the planetarium and the two mannequins that had just been pushed forward that the Principal of Geika, who had been lost in thought, finally looked up.
"Chihaya-san, give me an order form."
"Ah, of course."
Tetsuya immediately handed her one of the pre-prepared forms.
"Are you planning to buy these two sets, Principal?"
"No."
Under the shocked gazes of Tetsuya and everyone else around them, the Principal of Geika declared:
"I'm buying every piece of clothing from [Starry Sky]."
"...Eh?"
The first transaction for [Starry Sky] was thus established.