girlsdressingrooms:Yamamoto Kansai (February 8, 1944 - July 21, 2020), It is with much sorrow that
girlsdressingrooms: Yamamoto Kansai (February 8, 1944 - July 21, 2020), It is with much sorrow that we report the death of Japanese designer, Kansai Yamamoto, who passed away on 21st July, aged 76. Before Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo there was Kansai Yamamoto, the often-overlooked Japanese fashion designer who was catapulted into the international spotlight when David Bowie wore one of his designs. It’s as iconic as it is characteristic of Yamamoto’s work, which is marked by loud patterns, avant-garde styling, elaborate prints, bold hair and theatrical make-up. At the cutting-edge of contemporary Japanese fashion during the 1970s and 80s, Yamamoto was a unique figure in the industry. Not just because his work flipped a middle-finger at the conventions of the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic – a typically simple and straight-laced style – but because his shows were entertainingly theatrical, featuring fashion, fireworks, dancing and an exhilarating take on beauty. But perhaps the most inspiring thing about Yamamoto is the fact that, for him, fashion is more than mere garments. “I put all my time into creating a place where I can get in touch with people’s souls” Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family and those close to him at this sad time. Kansai Yamamoto (Center) Vogue Shoot 1971 / Photo: Clive Arrowsmith, 1973, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust in a striped baloon jumpsuit by Kansai Yamamoto. Marie Helvin for British Vogue / Photo: Clive Arrowsmith, Marie Helvin wears a cape depicting a yakko — a caricature of a Japanese warrior, often featured on masks in Japanese Kabuki theatre. The colours, however, are quintessentially ‘70s glam / Photo: Hiroshi Yoda. -- source link