“These three avant-garde designers have become an international ...

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esemble each other nor the standard in Japan. 23 “Despite the fact that all of them share a common heritage and are of the same generation, these individuals differ startlingly in their creative output. Issey Miyake is often described as the most optimistic and forward-looking of them…By contrast Yohji Yamamoto’s revisions of historical Western dress place him in the “romantic” faction of today’s avant-garde. He often combines recognizable Western silhouettes, such as the bustle, with unorthodox materials to create the most beautiful of avantgarde fashions. Intellectualism is the defining element of Rei Kawakubo’s work […] In her overriding desire to create fashions that defy conventional beauty while at the same time redefining what we see as fashionable, Kawakubo is the quintessential postmodern designer.” 24 In 2003, the Musée des Arts Asiatiques, a small museum in Nice devoted to the art of China, Japan, India, and Indochina, presented XXIème Ciel: Mode in Japan, displaying the garments of Yamamoto, Miyake, Kawakubo, and Wantanabe. The director, Marie- Pierre Foissy Aufrère, saw in the garments of these makers an intrinsic link to ancient Asian cultures, that mysterious quality or “côté magique” found in Japanese art. 25 She was met with initial refusal, however, when proposing the idea to the designers who refused to be exhibited on the basis of an outdated Orientalism. 26 This exhibition did not provide a historical overview of contemporary Japanese fashion or the usual discourse on radical design. Rather, as Patricia Mears, a collaborator on this project, notes, curators created “a visual story that evoked the beautiful qualities of Japanese design from a decidedly Western point of view.” 27 French conceptual artist Gotscho (whose work often focuses on fashion) designed the exhibition space, placing the garments in a theatrical display of fashion clichés including the coat rack and top model. These strange juxtapositions and lack of contextualizing information perhaps allowed the garments to speak for themselves as such, highlighting the differences 8
etween the designers, entreating the viewer to question and find their own definitions. Gotscho’s Robe X Lustre, Yamamoto’s dress from Spring/Summer 1999 interwoven with a chandelier, lying decadently on the ground over a red carpet, contrast familiar yet disparate objects. On a second level, the garments interacted with the permanent collection of the museum. While at times strikingly and beautiful, the displays did not always provide clear answers for the viewer, presenting him or her with a vague mix of contemporary fashions, Asian fine arts and contemporary French art. Mears contends that in the case of Yamamoto, whose romantic clothing draws “inspiration from the past while it simultaneously was veiled in the degradation so prevalent in our contemporary world,” the organizers’ messages were easier to grasp. 28 “I happen to have been born in Japan. But I’ve never labelled myself in that way.” 29 Despite his repeated protests, refusing to identify himself in terms of his origins and preferring to remain a “citizen of the world,” the identity question remains unresolved. While Yamamoto has often denied being interested in exploiting his Japanese roots, he has also embraced them at times. “For a long time I didn't want to touch it—I am Japanese and I didn't want to do souvenirs […] Then one day, I thought it is time to touch it and to break all my taboos—kimonos, body fit, high heels.” 30 He has also expressed his criticism of labeling Japanese fashion as being “one thing only,” preferring to create something universal. 31 Finding the “Japanese” in his clothes is impossible because there does not exist a shared definition of Japanese. Today, Western style clothes seem to match the definition more than the traditional kosode of yore. Carla Jones and Ann Marie Leshkowich examine the globalization of Asian dress, notably the changing ways in which people inside and outside of Asia see clothing and 9
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Page 5 and 6: dressed for their role in society.
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Page 13 and 14: Monitor observed: “To some purist
Page 15 and 16: motives were more clearly highlight
Page 17 and 18: www.textilemuseum.org/exhibitions/u

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