Responsible for so many of David Bowie's most iconic outfits including the construction of arguably his most famous persona Ziggy Stardust, fashion designer Yamamoto's work is innovative, dynamic and extravagant. Yamamoto was the first Japanese fashion designer to show in London in the early 1970s, in an explosive show that is categorised as an industry game-changer as it incorporated not just fashion, but theatre, atmosphere and performance. Early pop star David Bowie was in the audience at this show, and it was this meeting that helped Bowie realise his visions and help him to become the immortal gender-bending, status quo challenging legend he is today. The most famous collaborations between the pair were the 'Tokyo Pop' PVC kabuki bodysuit and the knitted body stocking that Bowie wore underneath it during concert on his Aladdin Sane tour.
Harper & Queen magazine dedicated a 6 page spread to Yamamoto's show:
'The room is almost pitch black, lit by a few spotlights; it's very crowded, very hot and very late. Suddenly, at 11.23pm precisely, the house lights go down and a tremendous discord of wild, upbeat Japanese music heralds the start of the Show of the Year. A spectacular coup de theatre - Kansai's models came on moving. They leapt, ran, whirled like dervishes, danced, flung out their arms so that the brilliant clothes meshed and merged into a kaleidoscopic cartoon of colour ... But his true originality lies deeper - Kansai is not so much a designer of clothes but an architect, with clothes built around the body in layers, wrapped round, looped and tied, and put on like a suit of armour.' (Fashion + Music, 2016)
Not knowing anyone on first arrival in western cities, Yamamoto wore his own creations, becoming a walking canvas for his art. It was when people stopped and asked him about what he was wearing that allowed him to make friendships and connections. Inspired less by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi (beauty in imperfections and mistakes) and more by the rainbow colours of 15th and 16th century Samurai warriors, as well as the ideas of Kabuku which literally means to lean, slant or deviate, and Basara which means to dress freely. Yamamoto's work is bold, graphic, bright and almost comical. His work crosses the borders between fashion, art, performance, music, theatre and identity.
His work is sculptural, working in layers to almost envelop the body in fabric, using bright colours and patterns and faces. It is the oversized and exaggerated forms of his clothes that bring a comical element to them. Actually, I am not sure if they are comical, or whether they are just theatrical because they are shown in the serious context that is the world of fashion. He uses line and colour to exaggerate different areas of the body, working from the body as a base to create outfits that are still able to functional but movement is clearly inhibited slightly. The work that I enjoy most is his work that covers most of the body so that only the head is showing. Leaving the head exposed allows the audience to see that although these outfits are quite extreme and alien in some respects, they are still clothes that have to be worn and I also enjoy the use of large faces on his clothes. I am not sure what it is about having faces on the body but it adds a level of surrealism to the clothes that makes them out of the ordinary.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/fashion-in-motion-kansai-yamamoto
Yamamoto exaggerates aspects of the body using line and colour to create outfits that are still able to functional but movement is clearly inhibited slightly. What I enjoy most about his work is the that it is oversized and covers most of the body. I also enjoy the use of large faces on his clothes. I am not sure what it is about having faces on the body but it adds a level of surrealism to the clothes that makes them out of the ordinary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqgaL_BInXg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbwKOL4_i3Y
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| almost like a poncho? |
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| Above and Below: Models from Yamamoto's 1971 show that was game-changing |
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