Kansai Yamamoto has been active as a fashion designer since 1971, becoming the first Japanese designer to hold a show in London and designing stage costumes for artist David Bowie. Since the 1990s, he has also been active as an event producer.

Last year, he held his first London show in 42 years, "Fashion in Motion: Kansai Yamamoto," at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). A pop-up event will also be held at the Isetan Shinjuku store from January 2nd. We spoke with Kansai Yamamoto as he takes this new step.

--First, can you tell us about this London event?

In terms of the success of the event, it feels similar to the one 42 years ago. However, one difference is the tools of computers and the internet. Compared to back then, when newspapers and television were the main sources of information, I felt that the response and the way emotions are conveyed are vastly different. In that sense, I think 40 years can bring about great changes.

--Firstly, there was a David Bowie retrospective at the V&A, which attracted the largest audience in history, and Kansai's costumes were the main focus. This event gave the impression of completely connecting his past creations with his present ones. How do you feel about that?

Actually, at the "David Bowie is" exhibition, I saw for the first time what kind of clothes other people had designed for him. It made me realize once again that my clothes were the best match for him, and that he was at his most energetic when wearing my outfits. Why is that?

At the time, he had left London for New York, and was determined to go out into the world and take on a new challenge. I was also determined to go out into the world from Japan, and so the combination of our two ambitions was one thing. Another reason, I think, was the clash between a Westerner and an Easterner, two people with completely different values and aesthetics.

--In this show, Kansai's overflowing energy was fully conveyed to the London audience.

I held a show in London over 40 years ago, and there was a reason why I chose that location. Even back then, I was a young man who dressed "eccentrically," and people would look at me in shock when I rode the Yamanote Line. But when I walked around London, I realized that female shop assistants would come out of the shops on both sides of my street and cheer me on. At the time, Haruo Minami popularized the phrase "The customer is God," but I thought to myself, "The customer in Japan is not God; the customer in London is God." (laughs)

For this Bowie solo exhibition, I went to London several times to prepare, and every time I walked down the street, people would say things like, "You look cool" or "Where did you get that outfit?" I'm still as popular there as ever. I'm looked at with a certain respect. It's exactly the same now as it was 40 years ago. Their underlying standard is the word "individual." In other words, they highly respect individuality. In contrast, Japan, while it has evolved considerably, still feels like a collective people.

--This show is based on the theme of kabuki. Could you share your thoughts on it, Mr. Kansai?

I imagined myself on stage as an orchestra conductor or a military commander. When the performers were about to enter the stage, I would watch the audience's reactions and the overall distance, and then call out my encouragement. In a good performance, the audience doesn't move their heads, and that was certainly the case with my performance. The moment it ended, I felt a sense of relief, like I could finally breathe.

--Kansai's first words during the first quick change really captivated us.

I was in tears at that moment. I don't know why. Some may say it's pointless for a conductor to cry, but when everything is perfectly executed, those emotions arise. This time, we were using stagehands to create that kind of stage presence right from the entrance, but that part was completely cut out of the official footage (wry smile).

--Indeed, there was no footage of stagehands.

This show had many restrictions, starting with the number of times per day and the length, which was 20 or 25 minutes. Even for Toshinori Kondo's trumpet, we had to limit the volume so that the paint on Raphael's painting at the V&A wouldn't peel.

Until now, I've done what I wanted, in the places I wanted, so this was the first time I'd been restricted so much. What I learned from that experience is that when I'm told to do what I want, I'll communicate as persistently as possible, but when there are restrictions, I narrow it down to the bare minimum. But even with a short time frame and many restrictions, as long as I'm clear about what I want to say, it's easy to get my point across. This was my first experience of truly realizing that, even if time is short and I have many restrictions, I can get my point across.

(Continued on 2/2)