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By Yasu MaskayStylized Japanese FashionHaving lived in Japan for nearly two decades, and worked in the fashion industry, I leapt at a chance to visit the Stylized Sculpture Exhibition showing at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California. The gorgeous museum is currently exhibiting a small collection of rare work by well-known Japanese fashion designers whose works shocked and continue to perplex and amuse the fashion world. The costumes are currently on loan from the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan. KCI was founded in 1978 and is world renowned for having the most historical costumes collection of the international contemporary fashion. This specific selection boosts designs from five acclaimed Japanese fashion designers: Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, Junya Watanabe and a fairly young designer,Tao Kurihara. They amazed the world with their groundbreaking fashion elements, often using innovative technology, and transforming simple fabrics into true work of art.  Issey Miyake: His clothes have adorned the bodies of ballerinas from the William Forsythe's Ballet Frankfurt.He is most famous for using pleated cloth that is easily transformed into "sculpture" once it is on the body. 
Yohji Yamamoto: Probably the most famous of the Japanese designers, he does not use specific tailoring methods, but twists and wraps the fabric onto the contours of the body to best fit the female form.  Rei Kawakubo: Founder of Commes de Garcons company is popular for her "deconstructed" designs. At times her collection has large tears or "holes" in the fabric to represent the imperfections of the human body.  Junya Watanabe: Junya Watanabe, protegÌe of Rei Kawakubo established himself as a leading fashion talent through the use of offbeat shapes, such as aluminum tubes, which he used to bring fabrics together.  Tao Kurihara: The youngest among her mentors, Kurihara is making her mark in the fashion world with her cute, youthful line, which is a different take from her mentors. The Stylized Sculpture: Contemporary Japanese Fashion from the Kyoto Costume Institute runs until January 6, 2008 at the Asian Art Museum. For more information on current exhibitions, go to www.asianart.org. Photo credit: Asian Art Museum |
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