ken tanabe fashions halloween costumes from everyday objects

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.