This might sound like an old man's tale, but I'll share a few real-life stories from around 1980. Since the relationship between "mode" and "street" in Japan from that era isn't often discussed online, I thought I'd share it here as an archive.
The first fashion show I remember attending was a show by Kansai Yamamoto at the Kyoto disco "Zenon" in 1978 or 1979. I worked as a stylist's assistant and lighting staff member. At the time, stylist Waka Kitayama, who was helping me out part-time, asked me to help with model fittings and the lighting for the show. This was a time when neither stylist nor lighting staff were recognized as common occupations. I believe the sound engineer was Tatsuo from EP-4, and the producer was Kaoru Sato. This was during the time when David Bowie, whom I previously wrote about in this column, was staying in Kyoto.
In lieu of my fee for the day, I received Kansai's shocking yellow nylon slacks and a vest-style jacket. I was also given a gold hakama and a sleeveless top with silver mesh and a pink organza lining. Waka told me, "If you wear this to the upcoming Earth, Wind & Fire concert, I'll treat you to dinner and the outfit." So I did as she told me. I bumped into some classmates at the concert, held at the Kyoto Prefectural Gymnasium, but none of them said anything. The outfit she gave me was also Kansai. Kyoto BAL carried Comme des Garçons, Wise, and Men's Bigi, but these were far beyond my pocket money. I wore clothes from Bunka-ya General Store and secondhand clothes at the time. I was happy to receive designer brand clothing, but the only other time I wore it out on the town was at a DEVO concert that year, when they came to Japan.
In the 1980s, I took a part-time job selecting music for Kansai's floor shows at department stores and hotels, painstakingly creating music on reel-to-reel tapes. It was a time when Jean-Michel Jarre, the synth sound source, was the only thing I was ever asked to wear.
I attended Kansai's 1990 Takachiho show in Miyazaki Prefecture as an editor, covering the event alongside a large number of press members. This event later evolved into the "Hello!!" series, which took place in Russia and India, with Kansai Yamamoto himself primarily working as an event producer.
Kansai Yamamoto is a very close figure in my own fashion career, a much more pop presence than Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, or Yohji Yamamoto. For those of us who only have vague memories of the '60s, experienced subculture in the '70s, and celebrated fashion and music in the '80s, the '90s and '00s are unfortunately a blank slate for the brand "Kansai." To be honest, even the young editorial staff running this website probably don't recognize the brand name Kansai. On November 1st, Kansai Yamamoto held his first catwalk show in 42 years at London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), marking his return to the place where he made his debut. It was a fun collection that evoked the lively atmosphere of Japan before the 1980s. Its "energy" conveyed a force that could blow away the hazy 2010s. Coincidentally, it was London, not Tokyo, that recognized this alternative power. Either way, we would like to heartily congratulate Kansai Yamamoto on his return to the global fashion scene.
