SERVING UP KANSAI

XEX MAGOctober 8, 2012

Photography by Alex Ade

Styling/Art Direction by Chad Groom and Llewellyn Jenkins for THE STYLEMONSTERS

Hair and Makeup by Daryon Haylock

Art backdrops by Rae at The Brooklynite Gallery (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn NYC)

Article: Chad Groom

As everything old in fashion becomes new again at some point, perhaps it is time to reconsider the genius known as Kansai Yamamoto- who almost single-handedly defined Japanese high fashion from the 1970’s to the 1990s.

His haute pedigree is unparallel, laying claim to the title of one of the founding fathers of Japanese contemporary fashion. Widely lauded for his graphic knits and his colorful and outlandish takes on traditional customary dress such as the Japanese kimono, he was more kabuki than Commes des Garcons. However, anyone with a discerning fashion eye can clearly see his design influence in the collections of Matsuda and Issey Miyake in the 80’s and currently in the aesthetic of Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Chado Ralph Rucci and Junya Watanabe.

Silver Fox and Black Fox trapper hats by Tarlow Furs

Silk-screened jacket and Giraffe-print motorcycle jacket by Kansai Yamamoto

Leopard-print pants by Jean Paul Gaultier

Sneakers by Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse

Hosiery by HUE

Yamamoto continues to inspire true fashionistas, from the geisha boy/girl to the harajuku homme. His career retrospectives have been everywhere from the Edo-Tokyo Museum to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Whether cultivating David Bowie’s infamous Ziggy Stardust persona in the 70s or being a favorite of Stevie Wonder in the 80s, the Kansai brand reigned as one of the most coveted avant-garde labels of the fashion cognoscenti until his Fall/Winter 1992 collection- which marked his departure from the fashion landscape. One might argue that if he were still designing, Lady Gaga herself would be awash in his creations. Even the fashion wunderkind and Louis-Vuitton-“Don” himself, Marc Jacobs, interned for Yamamoto at the start of his now-illustrious career. To this day, Yamamoto’s pieces continue to be as coveted as the ubiquitous Hermes Birkin bag. His graphic knits are on the must-have lists of everyone from the boutiques of Tokyo to magazine fashion editors state-side and abroad.