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A Collaborative Journey of Resplendent Design
A Collaborative Journey of Resplendent Design
Designer Yuka Uehara’s new gallery showcasing traditional Japanese artistic crafts
BY CRISTINA DEPTULA
— Yuka Uehara, quoted in Haute Couture’s 2017 feature on new San Francisco designers.
Designer and artist Yuka Uehara launched Tokyo Gamine in 2015 so that she could work together with her clients to create individualized couture. Her client list includes San Francisco’s symphony, opera, and ballet as well as the Girls Chorus, and she outfitted the symphony for a production of Candide. Her designs take inspiration from nature, mythology, and psychology and are often influenced by the wearer’s personal history.
“I found inspiration in nature and its subtle relations within my use of color and shape. I try to translate its growth and decay and the soundscape of its interactions into my works. Like the natural world, I’ve been trying to have a more holistic approach to my art practice. It’s not just about the garments; it’s the environment, the wearer, and how all these elements interact to create a unified sensorial approach.”
Haute Couture Magazine has described Uehara as part of ‘San Francisco’s Fashionocracy.’ She’s self-taught, crafting kimonos with traditional techniques and all of her clothing with fabrics from all around the world. A signature Uehara gown includes antique kimono panels and raw silk that she paints herself with flowers or abstract designs.
She’s selftaught, crafting kimonos with traditional techniques and all of her clothing with fabrics from all around the world
A former medical student, who completed her studies and worked in a laboratory in Japan, she switched to a career in fashion design after her father, filmmaker Ryuji Fukuyama, hired her to work with the costume department for his films. Her cinematic experience still informs how she thinks about fashion, as she views clothes as a way to enhance and communicate a person’s character and personality.
Resplendent with color, her gowns, coats, and rompers often include a bit of bright gold. A few years back the Nob Hill Gazette referred to Uehara’s collection as ‘painterly’ and one of a kind, recognizable on the street.
She’s no stranger to artistic experimentation. Currently, she’s embarked on a project known as Hagoromo, named for a mythical robe that allowed celestial beings to travel between the physical and spiritual realm. This will involve taking twelve traditionally crafted kimonos from different parts of Japan and modifying and painting them with the intent to comment on the ephemeral nature of the moment as well as form new art.
Read more at https://isuu.com/rareluxuryliving/docs/troora_san_francisco_2021_pages/380
