Japanese design captivates and influences the fashion world, producing some of the most talented designers ever known. However, this reputation for creativity didn’t happen instantly. It is the product of a gradual and careful evolution that dismantled cultural barriers, ultimately redefining the global divide between East and West. Here’s a brief overview of how this transformation unfolded.
A.D. 250: The Kofun Period:
This marks the beginning of Japan’s recorded history, though it’s somewhat debated. During this time, Chinese and Korean settlers influenced early Japanese clothing, which consisted of flat, loose squares of cloth sewn at the edges and worn away from the body. The later arrival of Buddhism from Korea encouraged the Shinto-based culture to adopt a more “continental” appearance.
1467-1477: The Onin Civil War A succession dispute between Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and his younger brother triggers a brutal civil war. By 1473, the Shogun, exhausted by the conflict, hands over his duties to his son and retreats to Kyoto, focusing on aesthetic pursuits. Alongside the rise of Zen Buddhism, and possibly as a response to the war’s violence, he embraces a modest, rustic style. This marks the birth of a new cultural appreciation for simplicity. Although it wasn’t the only aesthetic of the time, this uniquely Japanese style would shape the country’s visual identity for centuries.
1868: The Meiji Restoration The era of the Shogun ends, and real power returns to the emperor, who was previously just a symbolic figure. This shift is driven by the urgent need to modernize, highlighted in 1853 when an armed American fleet arrives on Japan’s coast, determined to open the isolated nation to trade. As Japan considers Western ways, the concepts of wafuku (Japanese dress) and youfuku (Western dress) clash, with the latter quickly gaining dominance. Japan grapples with reconciling its feudal past with Western technological advancements. In short, this period marks the beginning of Japan’s adoption of European fashion.
1905: Japan defeats Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, stunning the world with the speed of its modernization under the Meiji Restoration.
1923: The Namiki Dressmaking School opens, teaching young women the art of European-style clothing to cater to the wealthy elite’s growing demand for Western garments.
(Women in Western beach pajamas stroll through Tokyo in 1928. Photo by Kageyama Koyo)
1936: The Namiki Dressmaking School is renamed Bunka Fashion College.
1938: Issey Miyake is born, followed by Kenzo Takada in the next year.
1942: Rei Kawakubo is born, and a year later, Yohji Yamamoto arrives.
1944: Kansai Yamamoto is born, though he shares no relation to Yohji.
1945: Issey Miyake witnesses the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima, surviving with a lifelong limp and an endless quest for utopia.
1951: Hanae Mori opens an atelier, designing costumes for Japan’s thriving film industry.
1958: Kenzo Takada enrolls at Bunka, becoming one of the first male students at the traditionally all-female school.
1961: Kenzo Takada graduates alongside future Japanese fashion icons Mitsuhiro Matsuda and Junko Koshino.
1961: A trip to Paris and a fitting at Coco Chanel’s couture salon inspire Hanae Mori. She soon begins work on her own ready-to-wear collection, becoming the first Japanese designer recognized globally. Dressing women from Tokyo to Paris to New York, her conservative styles pave the way for future Japanese designers.
1964: Kenzo Takada moves to Paris and begins working as a freelance designer.
1965: Issey Miyake graduates from Tama Art University with a degree in graphic design. After visiting a local art fair, he questions why fashion design isn’t included. This curiosity leads him to Paris, where he studies haute couture at the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
1966: Yohji Yamamoto reluctantly graduates from Keio University with a law degree.
1968: While apprenticing at Hubert De Givenchy’s atelier, Issey Miyake witnesses the Paris student riots. Inspired by the revolutionary spirit, he heads to New York to study ready-to-wear fashion under Geoffrey Beene.
1969: Yohji Yamamoto graduates with more enthusiasm from Bunka Fashion College.
1970: Kenzo Takada presents his first collection in Paris and opens his first store, Jungle Jap. Miyake returns to Japan and establishes the Issey Miyake Design Studio, showcasing his first collection in New York the following year.
(Kenzo campaign shot by Hans Feurer, 1983.)
1971: Kansai Yamamoto debuts his collection in London. His colorful, decorative, and humorous designs contrast with the dark, intellectual reputation Japanese fashion will later earn. His clothes’ high camp and pop appeal attract pop culture icons like David Bowie.
1973: After studying fine arts and literature and working in advertising for the Japanese textile giant Asahi Kasei, Rei Kawakubo begins designing clothes and opens Comme des Garçons Co., Ltd. in Tokyo.
1971-1980: The Early Revolution In the early 1960s, the world of haute couture, dominated by Dior and Balenciaga, starts to shift towards the futuristic visions of designers like Cardin, Courrèges, Rabanne, and Ungaro. However, about a decade later, this high-tech glamour begins to give way to a more grounded approach. The student riots in Paris challenge societal norms, the Vietnam War creates global unease, and second-wave feminism empowers women with a new sense of identity. The 1970s see fashion move away from unattainable fantasies towards beauty inspired by real, tangible experiences. Kenzo Takada and Issey Miyake, with their fresh perspectives from the East and newly established businesses, are ready to embrace this change.
With their innovative cuts, multicultural influences, and exotic flair, Takada and Miyake quickly rise to the top of the fashion world. They become key tastemakers and trendsetters, joining an elite group of international designers who are revolutionizing ready-to-wear fashion. Their bold and creative designs demonstrate that ready-to-wear can be as imaginative as haute couture. Fashion is no longer the exclusive domain of the French. This group of young mavericks includes Sonia Rykiel, Thierry Mugler, Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Claude Montana, Walter Albini, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, and Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, among others.
(Issey Miyake coats, 1976. Photo by Anton Perich.)
1977: Hanae Mori breaks new ground as the first Japanese and Asian designer to be admitted into the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. That same year, Yohji Yamamoto presents his first collection in Tokyo, and Tsumori Chisato begins her career working for Issey Miyake.
1981-1988: The Next Revolution
As the relaxed style of the 1970s fades, the 1980s usher in a bold, ostentatious glamour that makes even Balmain seem modest. Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto, after years of designing and showcasing their clothes in Tokyo, decide to take their talents to Paris. The impact is “catastrophic.” Labeled “Hiroshima Chic,” their work shatters the conventions of Western fashion, unintentionally rewriting the industry’s rules.
Kawakubo and Yamamoto offer a striking contrast to the flashy excess of the 1980s with their cerebral, intellectual, and deconstructed designs. Their clothes, often made from tattered scraps of black fabric, resemble existential puzzles, draping the wearer in the flowing folds of a dissected kimono. These designs challenge the conventions of Western beauty, creating a sense of rebellion that’s as compelling to embrace as it is to oppose. The fashion world quickly divides into two groups: those who understand their vision and those who do not, with most falling into the latter category. As a result, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto become the unofficial uniform for the fashion editors in the know.
1984: Junya Watanabe graduates from Bunka and starts working at Comme des Garçons.
1988: Issey Miyake begins experimenting with pleating techniques. Jun Takahashi enrolls at Bunka.
1990: Tsumori Chisato leaves Issey Miyake to start her own brand. Chitose Abe joins Comme des Garçons.
1993: Issey Miyake launches Pleats Please, an innovative sub-line that signifies a new era of textile engineering for the designer. Junya Watanabe, supported by Comme des Garçons, begins designing under his own name and showcasing his collections in Paris. Jun Takahashi founds Undercover. Kenzo Takada sells his company to LVMH.
1999: Kenzo Takada retires to pursue art. Issey Miyake steps away from fashion, handing over design duties to Naoki Takizawa to focus on research. Chitose Abe launches Sacai.
2003: Jun Takahashi and Tsumori Chisato start presenting their collections in Paris.
2003-2010: The Third Revolution
By now, Japanese fashion is celebrated worldwide for its unique fusion of Eastern and Western styles. No longer constrained by tradition, the fashion world now looks to Japan for fresh ideas, much as it once did to French haute couture. Japan’s influence is evident in the work of Belgian designers like Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela, who have embraced the innovations of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo. Since the advent of “Hiroshima Chic,” a new generation of Japanese designers has emerged—those born after World War II and raised in a prosperous Japan. While their outlook is more privileged, they carry forward the pioneering spirit of their predecessors. Leading the way is Junya Watanabe, joined by Tsumori Chisato, Jun Takahashi of Undercover, Chitose Abe of Sacai, and others.
2013: Issey Miyake, working diligently with his Reality Lab, launches Homme Plissé, the long-awaited men’s version of Pleats Please.
2016: Issey Miyake presents a full retrospective at the National Art Center in Tokyo, offering the first comprehensive look at his body of work and innovations. Rei Kawakubo unveils a collection that reimagines punks with 18th-century pomp and pageantry, continuing her deconstruction of Western beauty standards. Yohji Yamamoto remains a master of cutting skills, still pushing the boundaries of fashion. The industry continues to be divided between those who understand their vision and those who do not.
2022: Issey Miyake dies of liver cancer on August 5th at the age of 84.
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