'looking back at the fashions of the 1980s typically results in a shudder, a sigh and a hope that the worst of it won’t cycle back into current trends. of course most of it has come and gone already, and will most likely be back again, but there is a certain piece of this decade that was so entirely radical, innovative and fashion forward that it seems to transcend the trends that are identified with the era, existing timelessly in a class all its own. so let’s all take a moment and pay homage to the Japanese and their avant-gardism.
spandex. power shoulders. neon. these are the images that come rushing back when you take a moment to consider the 1980s. but, as is true with everything in life, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. and the response to the body conscious, designer label dominated, vapid mess of bright colors that plagued the decade was something that revolutionised fashion — and went far beyond 1989. Japanese Avant Gardism had a decisively explosive impact on the fashion world as a whole. It was intellectual, highly deconstructed and featured shapes that enveloped the wearer, obscuring both form and gender. it was a counterpoint to the aspirational look preferred by bleach blond hard bodies, it refused vapidity and was the product of new faces from a relatively new land. Japanese designers were around in the 1970s, but created fashions in an entirely different manner. their work was 'Frenchified' if you will and explored Japanese culture and style through a Westernised lens.
the Japonism (a French term that describes the influence of Japan on the West) of the ’70s is best defined by the work of Kenzo Takada — a designer who moved from Japan to Paris early in his career, before he really even began producing clothing, in order to work his way into the rigid social system of French fashion. his work took on elements of Japanese culture from the outside looking in and, though highly acclaimed, it remained close enough to the Western status quo as to not cause any sort of crazed response. Issey Miyake was also on the scene at the time and resided much further on the avant garde end of the spectrum than Kenzo’s more commercial friendly wears. Miyake approached design as conceptual art, often working with artists, poets, illustrators and photographers to further explore where clothing could go and what it could do — calling this an essential part of his work. Frequently his innovative and experimental looks were more suited for an installation than a runway — however this is not to say that he entirely ignored practicality and modernism. Japanese fashion places emphasis on a meticulous attention to detail, with the ultimate goal of creating the perfect simple pieces which exist outside the bounds of trend. both Kenzo and Miyake utilised flat construction and drapery — and both placed importance on leaving excessive space (also called 'ma') between the body and the fabric. the two designers pioneered this oversize aesthetic; the layered, rough edge looks they created were free from the guidance of seams or darts. Kenzo is credited with bringing this part of Japanese style to the global stage; he was a major trendsetter for young fashion especially since he went out of his way to incorporate aspects of French//Western culture into his work, a move that made his clothing much more appealing to the global market. he mixed bold patterns with bright colors while still retaining the XL look. Miyake on the other hand was much more experimental and along the way discovered the secret to many a perfect basic — he in fact designed and produced Steve Job’s signature black turtle neck. Miyake is considered the founding father of avant garde and used opulent materials to create forms that flowed away from the body. his use of clashing colors, twisted synthetics and bouncing pleats are cornerstones of his identity as a designer and he is particularly renowned for his work with technologically driven textiles. the work of Kenzo and Miyake set the standard for clothing in the ’70s — oversized, free flowing and lots and lots of layers.
now we must further set the stage for revolution. you understand the context of Japanese designers in the French arena — relatively new, both in terms of arrival and ideas, and perfectly okay with operating inside the existing rules of fashion, both on a global scale and in Paris in particular. what the 1980′s brings about is a revision of the Japonism of the decade past: Neo-Japonism. this time instead of Japan through a Western lens, Japanese designers explored their own unfiltered statement about the West, no lens needed. they incorporated traditional elements of both Japanese clothing style as well as materials and construction (even origami). the country has century old traditions of weaving, dying and fabric manipulation that allow for much easier experimentation and access to higher quality or more technologically advanced materials than designers from other countries.
additionally, the Japanese had the advantage of an entirely different viewpoint from that of the West. at the time, there wasn’t a strong Asian invasion in the global marketplace of French fashion. Westerners had yet to be introduced to the design elements that their neighbors to the East had up their sleeves.
with no focus on enhancing the body, the clothes are free from the restrictions of the human form.
Yohji Yamamoto, master tailor and 'fashion genius,' and Rei Kawakubo, the mastermind behind Comme des Garcons. their combined work caused a Parisian frenzy — and even went so far as to bring about accusations that they were attempting to not only abolish the traditional definition of fashion, but to demolish fashion itself.
were the hems really unfinished? they actually put rags in the models’ hair? why were their lower lips black and bruised?
Rei Kawakubo is known for the challenges she poses to normative Western definitions of beauty. she goes out of her way to deform the natural shape of the human body, and her fashions work toward an entirely different goal — ignoring the protocol of enhance-flatter-perfection — to instead work with clothing as art, a wearable free form piece. Yohji Yamamoto also raised questions about the beauty idolised by the West.
their work went beyond fashion into the world of art — and their connections within the art industry served to in fact increase the status level of fashion designers, turning them into the gods we know them as today. and despite being accused of attempting to tear down the structure of fashion itself in Paris, they in fact reinforced France as the great legitimiser. they knew that the Paris runways were where they had to go in order to enter the global marketplace. and by doing so they gained social, economic and symbolic capital which put them ahead of all those who went a different route.
they created a look that 'went beyond the polarity of West vs East,' something that went against the very idea of national dress itself, and suggested something that stood outside the very framework of the system known as fashion. they weren’t coming in as Japanese designers, they were global designers — incorporating elements of both Eastern and Western tradition, pieces of varied subcultures and different subversions. with the result being a globalized look that was free of the restrictions of the body, that introduced the language of deconstruction to the world, and that 'vigorously transformed clothing into art.' it was a sensational controversy that suddenly allowed for a gold rush of new possibility.'
- Fashion Backward
spandex. power shoulders. neon. these are the images that come rushing back when you take a moment to consider the 1980s. but, as is true with everything in life, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. and the response to the body conscious, designer label dominated, vapid mess of bright colors that plagued the decade was something that revolutionised fashion — and went far beyond 1989. Japanese Avant Gardism had a decisively explosive impact on the fashion world as a whole. It was intellectual, highly deconstructed and featured shapes that enveloped the wearer, obscuring both form and gender. it was a counterpoint to the aspirational look preferred by bleach blond hard bodies, it refused vapidity and was the product of new faces from a relatively new land. Japanese designers were around in the 1970s, but created fashions in an entirely different manner. their work was 'Frenchified' if you will and explored Japanese culture and style through a Westernised lens.
the Japonism (a French term that describes the influence of Japan on the West) of the ’70s is best defined by the work of Kenzo Takada — a designer who moved from Japan to Paris early in his career, before he really even began producing clothing, in order to work his way into the rigid social system of French fashion. his work took on elements of Japanese culture from the outside looking in and, though highly acclaimed, it remained close enough to the Western status quo as to not cause any sort of crazed response. Issey Miyake was also on the scene at the time and resided much further on the avant garde end of the spectrum than Kenzo’s more commercial friendly wears. Miyake approached design as conceptual art, often working with artists, poets, illustrators and photographers to further explore where clothing could go and what it could do — calling this an essential part of his work. Frequently his innovative and experimental looks were more suited for an installation than a runway — however this is not to say that he entirely ignored practicality and modernism. Japanese fashion places emphasis on a meticulous attention to detail, with the ultimate goal of creating the perfect simple pieces which exist outside the bounds of trend. both Kenzo and Miyake utilised flat construction and drapery — and both placed importance on leaving excessive space (also called 'ma') between the body and the fabric. the two designers pioneered this oversize aesthetic; the layered, rough edge looks they created were free from the guidance of seams or darts. Kenzo is credited with bringing this part of Japanese style to the global stage; he was a major trendsetter for young fashion especially since he went out of his way to incorporate aspects of French//Western culture into his work, a move that made his clothing much more appealing to the global market. he mixed bold patterns with bright colors while still retaining the XL look. Miyake on the other hand was much more experimental and along the way discovered the secret to many a perfect basic — he in fact designed and produced Steve Job’s signature black turtle neck. Miyake is considered the founding father of avant garde and used opulent materials to create forms that flowed away from the body. his use of clashing colors, twisted synthetics and bouncing pleats are cornerstones of his identity as a designer and he is particularly renowned for his work with technologically driven textiles. the work of Kenzo and Miyake set the standard for clothing in the ’70s — oversized, free flowing and lots and lots of layers.
now we must further set the stage for revolution. you understand the context of Japanese designers in the French arena — relatively new, both in terms of arrival and ideas, and perfectly okay with operating inside the existing rules of fashion, both on a global scale and in Paris in particular. what the 1980′s brings about is a revision of the Japonism of the decade past: Neo-Japonism. this time instead of Japan through a Western lens, Japanese designers explored their own unfiltered statement about the West, no lens needed. they incorporated traditional elements of both Japanese clothing style as well as materials and construction (even origami). the country has century old traditions of weaving, dying and fabric manipulation that allow for much easier experimentation and access to higher quality or more technologically advanced materials than designers from other countries.
additionally, the Japanese had the advantage of an entirely different viewpoint from that of the West. at the time, there wasn’t a strong Asian invasion in the global marketplace of French fashion. Westerners had yet to be introduced to the design elements that their neighbors to the East had up their sleeves.
with no focus on enhancing the body, the clothes are free from the restrictions of the human form.
Yohji Yamamoto, master tailor and 'fashion genius,' and Rei Kawakubo, the mastermind behind Comme des Garcons. their combined work caused a Parisian frenzy — and even went so far as to bring about accusations that they were attempting to not only abolish the traditional definition of fashion, but to demolish fashion itself.
were the hems really unfinished? they actually put rags in the models’ hair? why were their lower lips black and bruised?
Rei Kawakubo is known for the challenges she poses to normative Western definitions of beauty. she goes out of her way to deform the natural shape of the human body, and her fashions work toward an entirely different goal — ignoring the protocol of enhance-flatter-perfection — to instead work with clothing as art, a wearable free form piece. Yohji Yamamoto also raised questions about the beauty idolised by the West.
their work went beyond fashion into the world of art — and their connections within the art industry served to in fact increase the status level of fashion designers, turning them into the gods we know them as today. and despite being accused of attempting to tear down the structure of fashion itself in Paris, they in fact reinforced France as the great legitimiser. they knew that the Paris runways were where they had to go in order to enter the global marketplace. and by doing so they gained social, economic and symbolic capital which put them ahead of all those who went a different route.
they created a look that 'went beyond the polarity of West vs East,' something that went against the very idea of national dress itself, and suggested something that stood outside the very framework of the system known as fashion. they weren’t coming in as Japanese designers, they were global designers — incorporating elements of both Eastern and Western tradition, pieces of varied subcultures and different subversions. with the result being a globalized look that was free of the restrictions of the body, that introduced the language of deconstruction to the world, and that 'vigorously transformed clothing into art.' it was a sensational controversy that suddenly allowed for a gold rush of new possibility.'
- Fashion Backward
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