Yoshikazu Yamagata's writtenafterwards and written by fashion shows for their Fall/Winter 2016-17 collections were held at Omotesando Hills on the 16th. The collection, themed around yokai (spirits), paid homage to Shigeru Mizuki, a manga artist who grew up in Yamagata's hometown of Tottori. Yamagata's attempt with this collection was to express a world where couture, street style, and yokai coexist through fashion. Just as Anna Wintour, who became editor-in-chief of American Vogue in the late 1980s, brought a sense of a new era to the world by combining couture and street style, the addition of yokai, a being that has been a part of human life in Japan since ancient times, allowed the show to evoke a sense of tracing our roots and looking forward to the future. Immediately after the show, Yamagata commented, "Various characters appeared on the runway in this show. I wanted to express a world where these characters, each with their own story, coexist."
True to his words, the first look featured a man with what appeared to be an animal slung over his shoulder, set to a bouncy beat. He alone was wearing earphones, an item that symbolizes both dancing, hunting, and other activities that could be said to be the roots of humanity, as well as the modern era. Each look that walked down the runway seemed to contain a message from Yamagata and the story of humanity.
Afterwards, models dressed as Hitotsume Kozo, Nekomusume, and Yokai monsters appeared on the runway, followed by models wearing long gowns made from extra-thick knit and looks featuring hats made from Inshu washi paper from Yamagata's hometown of Tottori. Occasionally, geta sandals sprinkled with sand from the sand dunes could be seen on foot.
All the models appeared through a flower arch, which acted as a barrier between this world and the next, then walked down the runway and left through the arch again.
The look, reminiscent of a crow woman, seems to incorporate the blend of black and patterns that is unique to needle punch, as well as an ancient fluctuation between opposing worlds such as the human world and the world of monsters, or darkness and light.
The final look featured a dress with an elegant silhouette made from a textile that was blanketed in sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes. Modeled by Nana Komatsu, it was a homage to Shigeru Mizuki.
Yamagata thought that by combining yokai and fashion this time, it would lead to originality on a global stage, and following the regular exhibitions he has been holding in Paris since last year, he said, "I'd like to take my chance in Paris."
It is precisely because he believes that fashion can transcend borders that he was able to show us such diverse fashion that transcends all boundaries.
True to his words, the first look featured a man with what appeared to be an animal slung over his shoulder, set to a bouncy beat. He alone was wearing earphones, an item that symbolizes both dancing, hunting, and other activities that could be said to be the roots of humanity, as well as the modern era. Each look that walked down the runway seemed to contain a message from Yamagata and the story of humanity.
Afterwards, models dressed as Hitotsume Kozo, Nekomusume, and Yokai monsters appeared on the runway, followed by models wearing long gowns made from extra-thick knit and looks featuring hats made from Inshu washi paper from Yamagata's hometown of Tottori. Occasionally, geta sandals sprinkled with sand from the sand dunes could be seen on foot.
All the models appeared through a flower arch, which acted as a barrier between this world and the next, then walked down the runway and left through the arch again.
The look, reminiscent of a crow woman, seems to incorporate the blend of black and patterns that is unique to needle punch, as well as an ancient fluctuation between opposing worlds such as the human world and the world of monsters, or darkness and light.
The final look featured a dress with an elegant silhouette made from a textile that was blanketed in sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes. Modeled by Nana Komatsu, it was a homage to Shigeru Mizuki.
Yamagata thought that by combining yokai and fashion this time, it would lead to originality on a global stage, and following the regular exhibitions he has been holding in Paris since last year, he said, "I'd like to take my chance in Paris."
It is precisely because he believes that fashion can transcend borders that he was able to show us such diverse fashion that transcends all boundaries.
