Japanese Designers in Paris

Lecture notes from February 21, 2008
Yuniya Kawamura, Ph. D. Fashion Institute of Technology/State University of New York

The air is tight of tension. The FD is full of proud and brightness. Even professor McNeil is a bit nervous when giving the opening speech.

"Fashion-ology" is a provocative output of fahion as sociology, anthropology etc. Today's lecture is about her specifiziation on Japanese designers in Paris. Who are they? Why are they in Paris?

Kenzo Takada (Kenzo): Complete Assimilation into Fashion System of France
Born in 1939, went to Paris in 1965. Was the very first Asian/Japanese designer in Paris. Sold his brand and retired in 1999. Paved the way for other Japanese designers in Paris. Kenzo has his very own fashion-style; flowers, bright colors, stripes... He is sometimes described as more Parisian than Japanese designer.

Construction of the Japanese Avant-Garde Fashion

Issey Miyake (first show in Paris in 1973); Yohji Yamamoto (in 1981); Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Carcons (1981) - these three created this Japanese avant-garde fashion style. In the 1980's Japanese had kind of "chock"-effect on European fashion design, they had something that Europeans didn't have before.

Fashion Movement as Avant-Garde redefines sartorial conventions. New tools and techniques were/are used. It also redefines the nature of fashion and the concept of beauty. Avant-Garde denies mass consumption, mainstream, streetstyle, working-class. Diana Crane (American sociologist) states that art movement might be considered avant-garde if it redefines artistic conventions, if it utilises new artifistic tools, ..., these 3 Japanese respond to this classification. For example one sweater might have two neck-holes instead of one or four sleeves in order to give the wearer freedom to decide which one to use.

Issey Miyake
Born in Hiroshima in 1939, went to Paris in 1965, first show in Paris 1973. Considered the founding father of avant-garde fashion. Retired in 1999. According to Miyake we can self decide which holes to use when puttin on - made clothes with many different neck- and sleeve-holes. Unisex-clothing. Straight lines. Their view was to oppose to conventional WEstern fashion, not to support the driving ideas of WEstern fashion. Lack of Western heritage was turned into his advantage, to go forward, to create new universal contemporay fashion. Gender neutral dress. Clothing constructs and deconstructs gender differences. These three Japanese designers challenged the construction of gender. Men's fashion is more simple, no decorations on their clothes, women like it, but didn't buy that in the first place. Now they do. Miyake also retired with Kenzo in 1999.

Yohji Yamamoto
He says: "Perfect symmetry is ugly." He wants to question the notion of perfection, beauty. Western perfection. Japanese perfection. Set up his company in 1973.

Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons
Born in Tokyo in 1943, worked as a stylist after school, started her company in 1969. Was convinced by Yohji Yamamoto to do a show with him in Paris in 1981. She was never designed as a fashion designer, graduated in Japan in philosophy. Therefore she's been critizied in her methods. One designer in Comme des Garcons - Rei Kawakubo. She f.ex says "ultimate simplicity" and then her assistants - garment makers - produce the ideas. The she starts to choose between, throw away ideas of her assistants. That method - giving out an idea - is a method of Kawakubo, that is her concept of creativity. How do we define creativity at all? Rei Kawakubo has this "special gaze" to give out an idea. Kawamura is annoyed by the fact that one can become as famous as Kawakubo in Paris in fashion design - what's the point of going school then? She herself teaches in a school that schools future fashion designers. She has trained in fashion design and thinks one should know how to construct patterns and so on. Kawakubo says: "I oppose trends, so I want them to exist." - so she could oppose them.

To break the Western aestethics of fashion - some French designers took that as an attack. Japanese designers created new style. To look things differently, to do what is not being done before. Kawakubo opposes the Western concept of body - clothes are not to shape the body, but to help a person to become or be what it wants to be. They like large clothes, large clothes as attractive. They reconstruced the whole concept of fashioned body. They don't like body being exposed too much. Why to follow this mainstream elegance? - let's dress down not up. Let's have fun, useless sprit. They love black, unisex, a-symmetry, but also neutral colors (grey, black, white), unstructedness. They don't like to use canvases, usually straped on the body. Trying even redefine womens' body. They also ridicule somethings - f.ex make-up.

They all started as pret-a-porter designers, in the opposition of Hanae Mori.

Hanae Mori: Couturier
Born in Shimane in 1926. Retired 2004. Started as costume designer for movies, became the official member of the couture organization in 1977. Her style is far from avant-garde. Attainment of the ultimate designer status. Produces haute couture. Conducting skilled experts. Her intention was not to challenge, but the legitimation, by the French establishment. She didn't break the concpet of aesthetics or Western clothing. She brought the ultimate Japanese high fashion into West.

The Second, Third and Fourth Generation Japanese Designers in Paris:
Atsuro Tyama - worked with Yohji Yamamoto in the beginning, label AT
Junya Watanabe - very very popular in Paris, recycling concept, well trained in tailoring and doing a dress
Jun Takahashi of Undercover - used to be a street-fashion designer, but then went to Paris and was popular among kids in Japan, then he changed in Paris and kids in Japan became disappointed because he became so mainstream because of being famous and in Paris, so some Japanese "kids" search for something more marginal.
Keita Maruyama - Kawamura's classmate, was very ambitious during studies when they studied together. His style is kind of girlie-cute; flowers, dresses. Japanese public likes girlie-cute outfits. He's like a 5th generation.

During Paris Fashion Week out of 100-150 designers showing their collections 20-30 fashion designers are Japanese.

Conclusion
Marginality used to be their asset - no longer marginal when going to Paris
Marginality leading to Mainstream???
Do they still need Paris?
Does Paris need them?

Once you have the legitimation it leads to financial success in fashion industry. Status of insider, fashion gate-keepers. The line between the outsider and insider. Insiders are privileged, legitimized. fashion insiders welcome designers who push the boundaries, this is creativity. Prestigue, image, name, brain, financial resources. Struggle to achieve and maintain all it. For 1st generation their ethnic heritage was the asset, but it is not the asset any more, because there are so many Japanese designers in Paris, so it is more difficult. But they still go there. They don't go to NY. Why? Looks like they need Paris and the issue to debate is does Paris really needs them?

- Fashion-season