ken tanabe fashions avant-garde halloween costumes from everyday objects
since 2003, the designer has been creating his own unique halloween costumes using inexpensive materials and his own body.
since 2003, designer ken tanabe has been creating his own unique halloween costumes using inexpensive materials and his own body. flying in the face of conventional, store-bought outfits, which typically focus on pop culture icons or ghastly ghouls, the designer decided to unleash his imagination to create a series of eye-catching costumes.
2020: ‘silver delivery’ made from insulated grocery delivery bags
image and styling by catherine leung
the final designs are simple yet distinctive. and despite a limited budget and modest materials, the costumes have been featured in the press and even in the book ‘otherworldly: avant-garde fashion and style’ published by gestalten. for halloween 2020, this metallic costume (above) emerged from trying out a grocery delivery service during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. some items came in silver insulated bags, which became the main ingredient for the design ken tanabe aptly titled ‘silver delivery.’ besides the bags, all he used was a roll of tape, scissors, and some black clothes.
2019: ‘red evolution’ made from watering cans
image by willie davis, styling by alina rancier
‘on halloween, you have the freedom to wear almost anything. but, costumes tend to follow familiar themes – especially for adults: pop culture references, tantalizing tailoring, death, or maybe all of the above. and those costumes are often store-bought, cost too much, and leave you looking like a regular person with a mask on,’ says ken tanabe.
2018: ‘gilded guardian’ made from painted garbage cans
image by willie davis, styling by catherine leung
2017: ‘shining circles’ made from embroidery hoops and spandex fabric
image by willie davis, styling by catherine leung
2016: ‘green engineer’ made from wall storage units and rope
image by willie davis, styling by catherine leung
2015: ‘chrome cloud’ made from mylar alphabet balloons
image by willie davis, styling by catherine leung
2014: ‘yellow sovereign’ made from foam sheets
image by willie davis, styling by catherine leung
2013: ‘pink wings’ made from cardboard magazine files
image by john blackford, styling by catherine leung
2012: ‘death of discs’ made from DVDs and DVD boxes
image and styling by catherine leung
2011: ‘red scooper’ made from storage bins
image and styling by catherine leung
2010: ‘orange lantern’ made from shipping boxes
image by john blackford, styling by catherine leung
2010: ‘orange lantern’ made from shipping boxes
image by john blackford, styling by catherine leung
project info:
project name: ken tanabe halloween costumes
design: ken tanabe
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
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