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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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Tadaima

Events in our culture eventually find expression in our arts and, in turn, our more commercial expressions of art such as fashion.  However, not everything finds a direct path. There will be no trivializing of the events happening in USA’s Eastern seaboard, for the tragedy experienced is immense and difficult for the people who are going through it. The political reactions and voices expressed will have synonymous echoes of the past, such as the panic from gas shortages and battle cries of institutional accountability, while others, such as the realization of the dependence on technology, are ownership of this period. Should the circumstances repeat themselves in further decades, you can be sure this particular decade will find a reference point.

Mankind is a resilient species indeed, and eventually New York and other places surrounding it will find their way. In places through the world and through history we somehow survive and thrive. As those in peril find thier way, others who have escaped their misfortune muster support and recognition of what that place brings to global culture.

Not too long ago, tragedy had befallen another country and eventually the focus resulted in a re-exploration of what it offered and what it has to offer still: Japan. While it faced tragedy from an earthquake that wiped out cities and affected its major capital, the world rushed to its rescue. And, as the tragedy was tended to, the world reminisced about its contributions. The modern aesthetic was the lightning bolt that forever changed how we created, blasting open doors of convention, unique for a country that has a history of steep tradition and insular incubation.

The masters of the 80s such as Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake introduced the globe to an entirely new way of modern dress, its influence still manifesting into collections today. Their techniques, exploration and utilization of high tech materials, architecturally astounding assembly and cuts breathed new life into our creative spheres, challenging our approach and revolutionizing our design aesthetic. Theirs was a vision of a world yet to come and it would be decades before we’d see it incorporated into conventional dress in the way that we do today.

They were part of what was the Big Five until their vision ran contrary to where people wanted to be as we took a more conservative turn towards looking in and reliving the past.  While fashion’s fickle perspective eventually looked for a new voice and save for the continued inspiration of the masters who decided Paris was their ultimate home, the Japanese were never truly forgotten. Now that fashion is looking forward, they are once again back into the fold and their Fashion Week has once again become relevant.

To an outsider, the extreme expression can be surreal with some designers opting out for what those who are more well-travelled know as the Harajuku looks (like Alica Auaa and WC, and to some degree with FurFur and Matohu have shown). To "get it", one has to understand the culture. Their people enter the education system with rigor that shames our systems as children not only enter school but also tutorage at the earliest age. Their entire childhood is one of education, for it is the years up to high school that determine one’s future. The smarter one is at an early age, the better one’s chances are of getting into a better university. Once you’re in, the rest is smooth sailing because everyone is graded on a curve, and it is in this narrow slice of time before finishing university and entering the conservative workforce (where devotion is a lifelong expectation) that the youth have a chance to live out their childhood and get it out of the system. It is here where expression is permissable. As such, the craziness is found here: the mix of innocence and rage.

For those lucky to work in the arts, the environment is more forgiving and expressive. The creativity has traditional roots, e.g. the clever geometry of origami and paper art mixed with a full embrace in technology. If western culture introduces innovation initially in the military and later allows it to trickle down into the general public, Japan shows what happens when innovation heads to the public first. The huge support of the arts plus this technological embrace gives Japan the special place that western culture cannot match, having slowly weeded out the arts from its educational curriculum to make it an accessory more for the fortunate.

It is true that the masters have made a lasting impact, the likes which can be seen in collections from ADEAM, Degree Fahrenheit, Et Momonakai, JNBY, Jun Okamoto,  Kamishima Chinami, Shiroma, and Yatsutoshi Ezumi. Some, like Facetasm and G.V.G.V., blend the domestic masters with some of the more international influences that are found in collections this season (i.e. van der Ham for the former and 90s Prada for the latter).However, some surprises come from these inspirational roots to demonstrate that the formula in Japan can produce some fascinating new ideas to wake up our senses. Designers such as Anrealage created fascinatingly modern warrior leathers amidst their “kawaii” expressions while Atsushi Nakashima demonstrated degrade and architecture with texture and cut in brilliant ways. Mint blended some spare yet interesting silhouettes with prints that call forth Victorian wallpaper through Indian eyes. Amidst the art school experimentation , Nozomi Ishiguro had some intriguing prints spelling an almost psychotic passion in the form of haggard script, something that actually seems more relevant in our mad world today; to know the Japanese and the inherent restraint makes this print  even more shocking and special.

That the bulk of the collections from the other Big Four seemed more of an exercise in exhausting memory lane makes the timeliness of opening our eyes to Japan’s experimentation and perspective on modern dress more enticing. A lot of what we view as modern comes from the masters’ cumulative work some thirty years ago, yet the spirit to look forward, to explore, to experiment and innovate comes from this culture. That it took a tragedy to shift our focus may not have been such a bad thing if it means giving inspiration in our quest to move forward. Perhaps that silver lining is something we can offer to those who suffer now, that as they rebuild their time will come to shine again.

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