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Nouveau JAPONISME
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Take a closer look at the phenomenon that change the course of how the West see fashion through a far east perspective.
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BY CARISSA VICKY
ames like Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons have been the forefront of Japanese fashion in international stage. The recent fashion week in Paris was dominated by the avant-garde silhouette created by these designers and with a series of strong shows during the Autumn/Winter 2015, Japan seems to own the season. But the supremacy of Japan in fashion has run long before we know it. LOOKING BACK Japonism, a term used to describe the influence of Japanese art, fashion and aesthetic on Western culture was first coined in the second half of the nineteenth century. The term is particulary used to refer the Japanese influence on European art. After Japanese ports reopened to trade with the West in 1853, a tidal wave of foreign imports flooded European shores and gave rise to a broader recognition of Japan. Development in transportation and communication technologies also contribute to this event of international expositions. However, artists and art dealers were the one to spark the interests in Japonism. During the 1860s, shops that were selling Japanese exotic objets, including the traditional Japanese garments, kimono; became a hit among TOP LEFT: YOUNG LADIES LOOKING AT JAPANESE OBJECTS BY JAMES TISSOT (1896) BOTTOM LEFT: ADVERTISEMENT OF KIMONO SADA YACCO
the art community in Paris and London. This Japanese influence was evident in three of James Whistler’s painting as well as Monet’s La Japonaise. In 1867, Japan hit the publication when works of French and American painters with hints of Japonism was seen appearing in many fashion magazines – marking the first sighting of Japonism in fashion. Charles-Frederick Worth, the founding father of Parisian Haute Couture, was one of those drawn to Japonism. Various elements such as embroidered Japanese-style motifs, asymmetrical placement of motifs on dress and the eba-moyo technique – a painterly approach to pattern design commonly found in Japanese kimono – were visible in his creations during the late 1880s. Up until this point, Japan’s influence in fashion was limited to the introduction of Japanese style motifs and the adaptation of silk weaving techniques, while the clothes themselves remained essentially European in form. The Japanese kimono gained momentum through opera and theatre, when a Japanese actress and former Geisha, Sada Yacco performed in Paris in 1900 with her travelling troupe. She quickly became a darling in Paris and the way she look in kimono left a strong impression on many artists, including Gustav Moreau, Picasso and Auguste Rodin to name a few. The widespread popularity of Sada Yacco increase the demand of kimono in France, not just as an exotica but as a wearable cloth. Boutique Au Mikado at 41 Avenue de L’Opera began selling kimono of Sada Yacco and from 1905, Le Figaro-Madame often carried advertisements for robes japonaise – a peignoirs in the style of Japanese kimono that became an instant hit for the fashionable women of the era. A major transformation on the Paris fashion scene, influenced by Japonism and the silhouette of Kimono, didn’t happened until the introduction of Paul Poiret’s design in 1906. He created a new silhouette that brings
TOP LEFT: JAPANESE PRINT BY WILLIAM MERRITT CHASE (1896) TOP RIGHT: SKETCH OF SADA YACCO BY PABLO PICASSO BOTTOM: POTRAIT OF SADA YACCO
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fashion into a new direction, liberated from the corset and putting more emphasis on shoulders – a direction that was soon followed by one designer after another. Madeleine Vionnet was one of those designers who found inspiration in the structure of kimono. Her early works feature resemblances to the flat construction of a kimono and displayed the effectiveness of the obi. However during the 1930, Japonism and anything related to the country of the rising sun vanished into a shadowy memory when the political situation between EuropeAmerican and Japan became tense. THE VANGUARD OF FASHION Japan, once again, emerged into the limelight during the 1970s as Japanese designers were making their way to the fashion capitals. Kenzo Takada and Issey Miyake debuted in Paris in early 1970, while Hanae Mori’s dresses gained enthusiastic responds from the crowd in New York in 1960s. Pioneered by Kenzo and Miyake, the Japanese has once again liberated the form of clothing, like curved seaming and darts that was popular in the 1960s, and set a new standard with oversized silhouettes. If Japonism in the nineteenth century can be defined as the Western’s perspective of Japan, the new wave of Japonism can be described as a statement from the standpoint of Japanese designers that is brought to the West. Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto joined the neojaponism troupe in the 1980s, introducing deliberate deconstruction and “imperfections” that shook the very foundation of what had been regarded as fashion in the West. This peculiar Japanese aesthetic provokes yet another new direction for fashion in the twenty first century, one that is distinctively individualistic and goes beyond the framework of fashion. This idea, labeled as avantgarde, is the one that influenced the creative direction of designers like John Galliano and Martin Margiela. Back in 2015, there are no stopping for Japan as once again, a new Japanese label, Anrealage, brings yet another shocking invention. Designer Kunihiko Morinaga of Anrealage introduces a new concept of wearable conceptual art through his innovative design. Will it be the next definition of Japonism in the upcoming century? Only time will tell.
TOP: REI KAWAKUBO BOTTOM: YOHJI YAMAMOTO