At CFCL, knitwear becomes quiet philosophy. For Vol.12, Yusuke Takahashi turns clothing into a form of “social sculpture,” where technology, sound, and movement weave fashion into everyday life.
Photographer Thomas Lizzi takes us backstage at CFCL before presenting its Vol.12 runway show at Palais de Tokyo on the final day of Paris Fashion Week. On the runway, in an open space bathed in soft natural light, artist BenVida performed live, filling the venue with minimalist sounds and poetic vocals that layered into a quietly tense atmosphere. The setting provided a fitting stage for a collection that explored clothing not just as design, but as a form of connection between the wearer and the wider world.
Founded in 2020 by Yusuke Takahashi, the Tokyo-based label, whose name stands for “Clothing For Contemporary Life”, has quickly built a reputation for forward-thinking knitwear grounded in practicality and sustainability. A certified B Corp brand, CFCL is known for its use of advanced 3D computer knitting technology to create garments that combine sculptural silhouettes with fluid draping. For Vol.12, Takahashi revisited the concept of “social sculpture,” originally proposed by German artist Joseph Beuys, who believed art could shape and transform society. Applying this idea to knitwear, the designer imagines clothing as a medium through which ideas circulate with garments that carry the intentions of their maker and activate meaning through everyday wear.
The collection continued CFCL’s ongoing question, can clothing help create a better society? Through its precise yet expressive knit constructions, the brand proposes garments that move seamlessly between aesthetic innovation and real-world functionality. Alongside its sculptural forms, CFCL maintains a commitment to environmental responsibility, careful material selection and supply-chain transparency an approach that defines its vision of clothing for modern life.
Photography by Thomas Lizzi for VEIN MAGAZINE
