Japanese fashion reached a turning point in the 1970’s. Prêt-a-porter (ready-made clothing, which people could access more easily than haute couture)became widely available and drastically changed Japanese fashion. Japan was in the middle of a high economic growth period and strong personal consumption backed the situation. Hanae Mori, Kenzo Takada, and Issei Miyake received attention internationally in the 1970’s.

Kenzo Takada established The House of KENZO in Paris in 1970 and opened his own boutique “Jangle Jap” there. He then started participating in the Paris Prêt-a-porter Collection and his colorful, pretty and dynamic folklore look, big look, and layered look quickly became popular. Issei Miyake also started showing in Paris Prêt-a-porter Collection in 1973. Hanae Mori had her first show in New York in 1965 and then opened her maison de haute couture in Paris in 1977 and joined the Paris Haute Couture Collection. At the same time, Sayoko Yamaguchi, a Japanese fashion model, became very popular in Paris Collection with her bob hair and makeup which emphasized her almond-shaped eyes.

In the 1980’s, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto received high recognition internationally. Their “boro look” which was loose black clothes ripped and frayed, brought sensational controversy in Paris, but their clothes then gave influence to the fashion after the period. Kawakubo and Yamamoto’s clothes matched to the mood of the 80’s when clothes with strong impressions were considered to be interesting. Their avant garde and dress-down approach had carved out new possibilities of fashion. It was an era when Japanese fashion bolstered a unique and original image which would shake the general idea of Western clothes. Kawakubo and Yamamoto’s deconstructed and sexless clothes later influenced designers in Belgium such as Martin Margiela.

In 1985, the Council of Fashion Designers, Tokyo (CFD) was established with 32 designers and then Tokyo Collection was started. The DC (Designer Character) boom in the 1980’s helped to energize the Tokyo Collection. In addition to designer’s brands, which had been recognized internationally as high-end brands since the 70’s, character brands referred to brands which were more affordable yet very fashion trend conscious. Many character brands such as Bigi, Nicole, Atelier Sab, Pink House, and Takeo Kikuchi swept the Japanese market. Strong economic growth referred to as a “bubble” intensified the movement.

Shortly after the 1990’s started, the economic bubble burst and casual fashion became the mainstream fashion trend. In addition to “Shibukaji” which meant casual fashion originated from Shibuya in Tokyo in the end of the 1980’s, “kogyaru” which referred to high school girls with loose socks, “chapatsu” ( brown hair), and “ganguro” (face with black foundation or strongly tanned) gained power in Shibuya. Street fashion in Tokyo started to get attention even from the international media and Shibuya and Harajuku especially became recognized as sources for fashion trends. “Ura Hara” which referred to the back streets in Harajuku, also became popular as a trendy fashion area. Jun Takahashi who is the designer of Under Cover originated from “Ura Hara” and he joined Tokyo Collection in the middle of the 1990’s and later started showing in Paris with 2003 Spring Summer collection. Shibuya 109 (ichi maru kyuu), which is a building with many fashion brand tenants such as Egoist, Cocolulu, Moussy and Cecil McBEE, became very popular among young women in their teens and 20’s and the sexy and pretty fashion was called “maru kyuu fashion”.

On the other hand, new and innovative materials and designs were introduced. Issei Miyake started Pleats Please and A-Poc and he implemented computer made and synthetic fiber to achieve an innovative structure of clothes and design. Yoshiki Hishinuma is another designer whose unique method of using fabric and design received attention. Japanese fashion specialty stores such as United Allows, Beams, and Ships also became popular and received attention from fashion designers from both in and outside of Japan as fine specialty stores.

As the 21st Century started, more Japanese designers such as Chisato Tsumori started participating in Paris Collection. On the other hand, the first Japan Fashion Week from Tokyo was launched in October, 2005 through collaboration with the Japanese government and designers. The 08 Spring Summer Tokyo Collection was held in the beginning of September, 2007 ahead of New York, and 38 designers such as LIMI feu, Né-net, and mercibeaucoup, participated. In 2005, Tokyo Girls Collection was also launched and it has been very popular among women in the late teens and 20’s. This show is available for regular consumers and girls who come to the show could place an order for their favorite clothes in the shows through their cell phones.

At the same time, Japanese brands that participate in tradeshows overseas have been increasing rapidly. A new men’s wear tradeshow “LAT40N” will be launched in January 2008 in New York, and it will support Japanese brands who want to export. Japanese fabric is also highly respected. Many designers overseas admire the quality of Japanese fabric as well as the detail-oriented sewing techniques. Japanese denim especially is highly admired, and Japanese organic fabric is also considered to be very innovative. Japanese stores who open stores overseas have also been increasing from Number Nine and A Bathing Ape, which have young cult followers to Uniqlo which is a mass fashion specialty chain. Japanese fashion has been expanding by designers, apparel manufacturers, and retailers in Japan as well as overseas.

Text: Yoshiko Sugimoto
Picture: Yohji Yamamoto
mercibeaucoup, (08 SS Collection)