1970s-1990s The Japanese Avant-garde

Harold Koda of the Kyoto Costume Institute gave a lecture the day before Issey came to visit. It was interesting, he drew connections to the multiculturlism of Paul Poiret, the techincal wizardry of Vionnet, and the heavy similiarites of cut, shape, and form from Balenciaga. It makes a lot of sense and in many ways Yohji, Rei, and Issey were the true and most pure "descendants" of those designers then any of the European designers that did literally follow them. A lot of Issey's techniques and ideas regarding fabric and how to manipulate it coincidently (as Koda made sure to point out) parallel Balenciaga.

According to to Issey there were two concepts that guided his clothing: The idea that clothes were a second skin and should behave appropriately, and the idea that there were also a sort exo-skeleton to enhance daily activity. Both ideas where simplifed and executed through his A Piece of Cloth method. It was with this idea that many of his designs were formed. It was the idea of taking a single piece of cloth and through careful engineering and clever design making it into a whole garment. If you look back at some of the images already posted in this thread you can really see it. It's very Balenciaga. This method eventually led to the A-Poc system which in itself is an amazement.

side note: the second skin and exo-skeleton idea can also be seen in his red metal corset garment and his pleats please line respectively.

As Issey said, A-Poc sort of happened on accident in a way. Their design team bought these knitting machines and weren't quite sure what they wanted to do with them. Issey with the help of textile engineers, designers, and computer programmers found a new way to realize his A Piece of Cloth ideas. With the help of Dai Fujiwara he was able to program the machines to knit garments directly into the fabric and you all know the rest!

He was able to share with us the future of A-Poc. They are currently working with material engineers and architects to use the A-Poc system for everything from architecture to car design. Dai Fujiwara is a much a parent of A-Poc as Issey is. Issey has the hope that in the future it won't just be his company that has a hold on the technology and that it will be come the standard means for clothing production. He said that in the future when people are wearing A-Poc clothes we won't know it. When asked about what other dreams and goals he replied "if I were to share them with you they would lose their meaning and specialness" (paraphrased of course).


Oh, and the sells of his perfume are to fund A-poc research. And he gets his trousers from bannana republic.
 
isseyduffleflat.jpg

i love the basic function of the bag...but it seems impractical-the fact that its base is stainless steel...it could be even alumnium...aside from the bulkiness-its very beautiful...bunched cloth nestled in industrial rings... and i like the handle clip. it would be interesting if it was in wood instead...but that create entirely different connotations.
 
thanks mutterlein...how fantastic to see him speak...what do you think of his previous work? he is definately more of a textile designer-or textile architect-or better yet industrial design because he views fashion with specific goals-form meets function.
 
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mutterlein...thanks for sharing that expereience with us...banana republic?!?!...:lol:...funny...:flower:

1993 ...vogue shot by irving penn
rei kawakubo for comme des garcons...:heart:
 
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http://www.k8tykat.com/marketplace/COMMEmicrosuededress.shtml

comme des garcons
micro-suede bubble dress

a leader in avant guard dressing since the 80s the japanese label comme des garcons has always managed to take the simple sheath and turn it into art. from quasimodo dresses with removable body pads to this black micro-suede bubble dress with strategically placed elastic bands designer rei kawakubo is interested in clothing for a woman, or a man, who has a brain. this simple black sheath is made of a synthetic material that feels like a felted suede - without all the animal cruelty. the jewel neckline and sleeves have 1" elasticized openings which give the wearer endless possibilities of placement, on the shoulder or off. these are also echoed by an off-center elasticized panel in front and back and the elasticized hem. side seam pockets will hold the keys to your audi tt and your platinum credit card so shopping at barneys won't be a problem.

size - one size fits everyone

bust - up to 50" waist - up to 60" length - 4
 
my this thread is getting better and better!:heart: i love the comme des garcons pictures from the eighties...

here is some more miyake, stolen from my penn-thread:
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from www.japan-zone.com:

Takada's first work borrowed heavily from traditional Japanese styles but it was his 'big silhouette' designs which drew worldwide attention. His designs made him something of a trendsetter for young fashion. In Japan, he is highly regarded as a pioneer who introduced Japanese fashion design to a world audience. Always very selective of his fabric, Takada in recent years has moved into the design of furniture coverings and household items. In September 1999, he announced that he was handing over the reins of his fashion house to his assistants.

has anyone ever seen his furniture??
 
by takada kenzo, issey miyake and rei kawakubo (sorry, i don't know from when these are?)

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so much great information and so many beautiful pics.....my head is spinning:blush:

thx :flower:
 
nqth said:
Sorry I seem to have some problems with my server:-(

they're working now...:bounce:...

and they are AMAZING!!!...fantastic...you can see all the bubble/pouf stuff that was going on in the 80's that you see being revived in the fall collections...and the looser silhouette which did not adhere to the curves of the body...the ease of movement and the flow of the fabrics...

THANK YOU NGTH...!!!...:heart:

i absolutely see dries s/s 04 collection there...from style.com
dries van noten...seems like this is strongly influenced by comme...as seen in ngth's post on page two of this thread...
:wink: :heart:
 
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travolta said:
thanks mutterlein...how fantastic to see him speak...what do you think of his previous work? he is definately more of a textile designer-or textile architect-or better yet industrial design because he views fashion with specific goals-form meets function.

I actually like his earlier work more than the stuff he did right before he stopped designing.
 
excerpt from...http://www.throughthesurface.com/symposium/kawamura.html

'Like the shape of the kimono, the designs by Kawakubo, Miyake and Yamamoto were known for being gender neutral or unisex. Gender roles are determined only by social rules and regulations formed by society. Clothing constructs and deconstructs gender and gender differences. Clothing is a major symbol of gender that allows other people to immediately discover the individual’s biological sex. These three Japanese designers challenged the normative gender-specificity in clothes which was the characteristics of Western clothes.'

**these clothese were more than just pretty things...they revolutionized and challenged societal roles...and accepted norms...they broke down barriers and changed the cultural landscape...they gave women options that weren't really there before...and now it has seeped into the mainstream...look at marc jacobs new fall 04 collection...it is so 'witch-y'...which is SUCH a comme des garcons/yohji aesthetic...

this is why i got into fashion...i used to think you could actually use it to influence popular culture...and to change the world...and i think that at one time you could...but i don't know if there's as much room for that these days...people don't seem to want to think as hard these days...everyone has ADD and if you don't slap them accross the face you can't get their attention ..plus we're all so de-sensitized from being slapped in the face all the time with the 'next best thing'....:lol:...figuratively speaking , of course...

i think it's great to see that so many young aspiring designers are inspired by these great artists...but sometimes they forget the ultimate reason why these three were and are so great...it is because of their originality and individuality...it's because they showed us a perspective which we hadn't seen before and because they had their own voice and actually had something to say....they have done far more than just design clothing...they created a new vocabulary for fashion...who says a pair of pants can't have sleeves?...or that a top only needs one neck hole...? i do not think we would have a martin margiela today if we didn't have a rei kawakubo and an issey miyake...wouldn't it be interesting to see some kind of collaboration?... :flower:

with all of rei's collaborative projects...it's funny how she's never worked with any of the belgian deconstructionists who are so clearly influenced by her work...maybe it's too close to home?>...curious.....
 
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Mutterlein said:
I actually like his earlier work more than the stuff he did right before he stopped designing.
i agree mutterlein...
i think he had lost interest in design by then and his real focus was on textiles and it showed in his later work...but that's why i think it's good that he has moved on and is able to work on something else which he is passionate about...continuing to explore ideas and create in a different way... :heart:

naoki is doing a fine job at miyake...imho...if only it wasn't so pricey... :ninja:
 
softgrey said:
with all of rei's collaborative projects...it's funny how she's never worked with any of the belgian deconstructionists who are so clearly influenced by her work...maybe it's too close to home?>...curious.....

She has..Comme des Garçons and Maison Martin Margiela presented their Spring/Summer 98 collections together (out of a spirit of kinship, I believe).

btw I adore this thread, I've spent the better part of an hour reading all these excellent links. Thanks everyone.
 
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softgrey said:
i agree mutterlein...
i think he had lost interest in design by then and his real focus was on textiles and it showed in his later work...but that's why i think it's good that he has moved on and is able to work on something else which he is passionate about...continuing to explore ideas and create in a different way... :heart:

naoki is doing a fine job at miyake...imho...if only it wasn't so pricey... :ninja:

I think Issey Miayke is one of the only designers I can think of that will go down in history as having contributed more to design than just nice clothes. The work he is doing is really going to change lives. I think Rei is similar in her exploration of textiles, weaves, and new materials. Her goals seem to be less industrial minded but the same interest is there.
 

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