The New Dressing

During the 1980s a uniquely Japanese style of dressing has emerged as a major force in international fashion. Originating from the culture and traditions of the East, these revolutionary fashions have challenged the accepted principles of Western clothing design. Although the Japanese designers Hanae Mori (born 1926) and Kenzo Takada (born 1940) had established themselves successfully outside Japan before the 1980s, their garments were nevertheless produced in the traditional mode of European fashion.

This exhibition focuses on eight contemporary Japanese fashion designers whose exciting, unconventional designs shocked the fashion world and changed the Western perception of clothing. These designers have a concept of dressing which differs fundamentally from the traditional Western idea of clothing, based on cloth being tailored to the body’s shape. They perceive the body as a form on which clothing may be draped, wrapped or hung. Many of the garments they design are cut on the rectangular, which allows them to be folded and stored on shelves rather than hung in wardrobes. Unlike Western clothes, which are cut in standard sizes and fastened with zippers and buttons, these oversized garments are tied, knotted or wrapped to fit any wearer, and are consequently both practical and comfortable. This style has become known as the ‘New Dressing’.

Much of the inspiration for this new concept of clothing design comes from Japan’s cultural past. There are strong similarities in the style of the 'New Dressing' and in the form of the ceremonial garment developed in the eighth century — the 'kosode' or kimono. The kimono is cut from material in straight lines, without regard to the curves of the body. The shape of the wearers body is thus totally irrelevant, as it was believed that the physical beauty of a woman was represented, not defined, by her clothes. The kimono has no fasteners other than the obi (sash), which is tied around the waist. As the basic form of the kimono did not change, the fabric became the most important creative element in its design. The fabric was decorated by various techniques, including dyeing, stencilling, weaving and embroidery.

Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons is considered one of the most important and radical of the Japanese designers who have emerged this decade. In 1981 she showed her collection for the first time at the ready-to-wear (prét-à-porter) parades in Paris. Her asymmetrical, oversized garments, with their unorthodox use of holes and slashes, stunned the fashion establishment. Critics described her original style as 'the non-constructed constructed look', 'post-Hiroshima' and 'the rag-bag look of asymmetry'.

Kawakubo's clothing designs are severe but functional: she eliminates frivolous ornamentation and essentially uses the natural qualities of the fabric — often in unexpected texture and colour combinations — as a major part of the decoration and style of the garment. Colour is often restricted to the natural hue of the fibre, and black dominates most of her collections. The unusual constructions incorporate irregular shapes and holes.

The black knitted jumper of Autumn/Winter 1983 is typical of the Comme des Garçons style of knitwear. The front of the jumper is made with a series of diagonal bands of knitting that overlap at intervals to produce large openings (more commonly associated with a garment that is worn or old). Through these openings the garment underneath can be seen. Kawakubo perceives this style of decoration as a form of lace, and has also used it in the black jacket of Spring/Summer 1983, which has a large opening at the back and irregular holes under the arms. By combining layers of garments in one outfit, and using asymmetrical lines, holes and slashes so that a part of each layer is always visible, Kawakubo creates the effect of an overall pattern.

Kawakubo employs a range of traditional textile techniques in her designs. The overdress, shirt and trousers of Autumn/Winter 1984 have been coloured navy blue by using the ancient Japanese dye process of ‘aizome’. Traditionally this involves dipping cotton fabric in an indigo dye to achieve a rich navy blue. Kawakubo has applied the technique to the manufactured fibre rayon. The fabric used for the overdress and trousers is decorated in an overall pattern of chrysanthemums, leaves, roundels and misty hazes, motifs that are symbolic in Japanese culture. This machine-printed pattern simulates the stencil and 'shibori' (tie-dyeing) techniques.

The most recent garment on display by Kawakubo — the dress and skirt of Autumn/Winter 1986 — differs markedly from her earlier designs, being more conventional in its form. However, although the dress is shaped to the body in a more traditional Western design, the irregular hemline creates an abstract, rather than a body-hugging, silhouette. The sculptural lines of the dress are offset by the creases of the skirt which, being rubberized, retains an uneven, wrinkled appearance.

Issey Miyake also focuses his designs on the 'essence of clothing ... the wrapping of the body in cloth'. He believes that the combination of the body, the fabric, and their movement, creates the garment. Miyake places great significance on traditional Japanese working clothes, from the garments of fishermen to those of samurai warriors. His work has also been inspired by the 1920s creations of the Parisian fashion designer Madeline Vionnet, who draped cloth in amazing ways and created the bias cut.

Miyake's garments are constructed in layers so that various costumes, each of which has its own distinctive shape and pattern, are combined in one outfit. His dress, shirt and coat of Autumn/Winter 1984 combines a number of patterns — zig-zags, diagonal stripes and triangles in earth shades — with various shapes. The dress is cut in an asymmetrical shape, while the coat is cut to echo the formal elegance of a kimono. Miyake's experiments with materials and clothing forms are apparent in Marcus Leatherdale's photograph Claudia Summers, 1983. The model is wearing a polyurethane jacket and skirt. The jacket is worn over a rattan bodice, which has been shaped to follow the line of the body. The outfit resembles the light, bamboo practice-armour traditionally used by samurai warriors.

Yohji Yamamoto is perhaps the most philosophical of the contemporary Japanese designers. He perceives his creative talent as a gift from nature, and his work often reflects the spirit of one of the seasons. He believes that he cannot achieve perfection in his designs, as the person who wears the garment will determine 20-30% of its final form. Consequently he designs clothes that can be worn in a variety of ways. His jacket of Spring/Summer 1986 features three buttons and one buttonhole so that the degree of its irregularity can be changed at the wearer's whim. The skirt from the same collection is designed in a sarong style which is tied with a knot. The bright green fabric is decorated with an overall pattern of roosters and flowers, suggesting the warmth and growth of summer. Another aspect of Yamamoto's diverse imagination is represented by the hat of Spring/Summer 1985, which is made of grey pleated cotton and shaped in the manner of a sixteenth-century European cap.

A similar sensibility and love of fabric is seen in the work of Yoshiki Hishinuma, an ex-student of Miyake. His garments also reflect an interest in the forces of nature, in particular the effects of light and wind. In order to take advantage of the natural movement of air, he uses large quantities of fabric, which literally billow around the wearer. He also mixes patterned fabrics to optimize the effect of light on the garment. For example, his robe of Spring/Summer 1985 combines a woven ikat fabric — highlighted by glistening synthetic threads — with a cloth which features a swimming-pool scene integrated with traditional Japanese motifs and representations of modern European weapons.

An interesting blend and abstraction of Eastern and Western styles is seen in the work of Kansai Yamamoto. The blue cotton dress of Spring/Summer 1985 features a range of metal trimmings inspired by American cowboy clothes, such as collar tips patterned with the heads of steers, buttons decorated with birds, and large medallions covered with flowers. These trims are used to emphasize the unusual constructions of the dress, which is box-pleated from the shoulders and has an irregular hemline of triangular shapes. Kansai uses gold fastening mechanisms to highlight his black coat of Autumn/Winter 1985; the shape of the coat is outlined by a single zipper track and accentuated by military buttons.

Michiko Koshino has taken fashion to its abstract extreme. Her clothes have a sculptural quality which is reminiscent of the 1960s styles created by the French designers Courrèges and Cardin. She manages to synthesize the best of Japanese and European clothing to create an amusing and unconventional look. She bases many of her collections on the use of industrial materials. In the early 1980s she worked with Neoprene (wet-suit fabric), producing garments that appeared to be moulded to the body, since this type of cloth has no movement.

Her recent collections have focused on inflatable clothing, made from nylon. The dress of Autumn/ Winter 1987 features a rigid handkerchief-style skirt that derives its form from the inflation of air. Her Cat jacket of Autumn/Winter 1987, which features inflatable ears and tail, humorously exploits this design technique.

A similar humour is seen in the work of the shoe designer Tokio Kumagai. The brown leather African mask sandals of Spring/Summer 1985 are decorated with primitive gold masks, and trimmed with fake ocelot fur. Kumagai uses the medium of shoes to express his ideas, which are inspired by a variety of artistic styles. The red leather Spot shoes of Spring/Summer 1985 are hand-painted with a trompe-l'oeil pattern in the surrealist style of the 1930s.

The creations of the Japanese designers on display in this exhibition reflect a new direction in twentieth-century fashion that has its origins in the culture and textile traditions of Japan. This 'New Dressing' style has inspired and influenced designers all over the world, and has established Tokyo as an important international fashion centre.